Gohan and The Lightning Thief
by LordCaldrin45
Summary: When the battle with Cell take a surprising twist, Gohan finds himself transported to a world where the Greek Gods still exist, and their children live in a place known as Camp Half-Blood. Trapped in a new world with his memory in shambles, Gohan sets out on a new adventure to stop a war, and to once again save the Earth, all the while piecing together his shattered mind.
1. A New Journey Begins

**Hi fans! Now, while I know that this isn't my first Gohan crossover series, I thought this would be a fun series to do. I actually got to see Rick Riordan speak a few months ago on his Magnus Chase tour, which got me interested in the books. Well, I decided to finally read the Percy Jackson books. Well, I pretty much loved it. (Way better than those movies) So, while I'm writing that Master Chief and Harry Potter Jedi/ Series, I got the idea to write this Percy Jackson and DBZ crossover. I hope you all enjoy this newest story. Review!**

 **Prologue…**

 _The multiverse. It's a big place, where every possibility exists, where the impossible can become reality. From a galaxy far far away to a world where the Greek gods exist and rule the heavens, everything and anything is possible._

 _Our story starts with a tale that many know by heart. The Cell Games, where the nefarious bioandroid Cell fought the group known as the Z Fighters in a battle for the Earth. The tale goes the same way in many of them. The saiyan warrior Goku fights Cell in a pitched battle by concedes. He then chooses his son, Gohan to fight, believing that the boy had a hidden power. This power was finally unleashed when Gohan witnessed the dead of the brave warrior Android 16, allowed him to take the Super Saiyan 2 form and easily overwhelm Cell. Yet, the power causes him to become arrogant, and not finish off Cell when he should have._

 _This gave the android the chance he needed to activate the bomb hidden inside him, which would destroy the Earth. Goku managed to teleport Cell away from the Earth, saving the world at the expense of his own life. However, Cell was able to survive and returned to Earth, fatally wounding the warrior Trunks. After a brazen attack on the android by a crazed Vegeta. Gohan was wounded by Cell… well, the bottom line is that a wounded Gohan and a Cell engaged in a massive Kamehameha duel to the death, with the fate of the Earth in the balance._

 _Now, this is where the line diverges, leading to countless scenarios. In the version we all know, thanks to the faith and love of his father, Gohan manages to unleash the last of his power, killing the android and saving the Earth and bringing about an era of peace. Of course… this wasn't the only scenario. In one universe, Cell managed to overcome Gohan and destroy him, before then slaying the rest of the Z-Fighters and conquering the Earth with an army of Cell Juniors. And in a third, the scenario plays out similar like the first, but in this one, Cell managed to survive the blast. A year later, Gohan would receive a letter to a magical school known as Hogwarts… the list goes on and on. Now, this story technically includes two worlds. But, I've said enough. Lets get started!_

"Say goodbye, Boy!" Cell roared as the blue light in his hands grew even larger, causing the ground to shake even more intensely. Gohan gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist, causing his own blast to get even larger, while the rest of the Z Fighters stood back in shock and terror.

"Gohan!" Piccolo cried. Then, both fighters let their blasts fly, shooting toward each other at incredible speeds before colliding in a massive explosion, both beams smashing against each other in a battle for dominance, both fighters grunting as they struggled to keep their beams intact against each other. Gohan grunted as he sank into the ground several inches.

"Damn you, boy! I will destroy you and this world once and for all!" Cell roared as he focused, causing his beam to grow even larger. At that moment, as the two beams clashed, something happened. The beams seemed to warp together, A second later, a second shock wave shot around the arena, causing the other Z Fighters to yell as they covered their faces. When the dust settled, they gaped. Now, there was a swirling vortex between Gohan and Cell. It was circular and blue… and sucking everything in nearby like a vacuum. Huge chunks of earth shot out of the ground and into the vortex. Gohan and Cell's beams were still shooting out of their hands, but were swirling into both ends of the vortex.

"Gohan!" Piccolo roared. Gohan grunted.

"I… can't stop it!" Gohan cried.

"What is this?" Cell roared. Now, Gohan and Cell were being dragged into the vortex, inch by inch."

"G-Gohan!" Krillin cried as he started to run, but was stopped by Vegeta.

"Don't be a fool, midget!" The wounded saiyan barked as the vortex grew even stronger.

"Gohan!" Gohan heard his father's voice yell, but it was too late. Gohan cried out as he and Cell were enveloped in the vortex. The air was still for one brief second. Then, the orb instantly shrank to the size of a golf ball before exploding, sending a shock wave flying out that sent everyone flying, Z Fighters and Mr. Satan's group included. When the Z Fighters finally got to their feet, they stared in shock and disbelief. Save for a large crater where the battle had been, Gohan and Cell… were gone!

"Gohan!" Krillin cried out as he broke off from Vegeta's grasp and shot over the battlefield, looking frantically for the boy.

"What… what is going on, Namek?" Vegeta barked.

"They're… gone, both of them. I can't sense their energy!" Piccolo said numbly.

"They're dead?" Yamcha asked.

"I… don't know." Krillin was a bit more frantic.

"Oh no, who's gonna tell Chi-Chi?" No one wanted to even contemplate that one.

"We gotta get to the Lookout!" Krillin took off immediately. The other Z Fighters followed, leaving only Mr. Satan and his group of morons, who looked absolutely perplexed.

"What… happened?" the dumbfounded wrestler asked, but no one answered. There were a lot of questions, and he wasn't the only one.

"King Kai, what happened? What happened to Gohan?" Goku asked in utter disbelief.

"Ooo ooo!" Bubbles grunted.

"I do not know for sure, Goku. He and Cell are not dead, they have been… ripped out, and taken somewhere else." King Kai answered. Goku stared at the kai in disbelief, feeling incredibly… helpless.

Gohan had felt pain before, and he through the pain in the arm was the worse he had ever done, but not like this. He felt like every atom of him was being ripped apart, seeing nothing but flashing colors. Then, almost as soon as it had started, it stopped. Gohan found himself falling, with fear beating in him like a drum. He was tumbling through the sky, but al; he could get were flashes of blue sky, and a loud rumble of thunder. Normally, he could have easily caught himself. But, thanks to his battle with Cell, he could barely move. He continued to spiral through the air, getting gimpses of a large forest, and what he could have sworn was a large clearing with several large houses.

Then… Gohan hit the ground. Hard. Every inch of his body ached, and he could feel himself grow weak, so he was likely back in his regular form. Gohan blinked at the sky, getting one clear look of a blue sky and dark clouds in the distance as the sky rumbled. He could faintly hear cries and yelling from somewhere, but he wasn't sure from where. The last thing Gohan saw before he passed out was what he could have sworn was a girl in an orange shirt with bright blonde hair.

 **Awesome, right? This is the start of a brilliant new adventure, one that I hope you'll all enjoy! Review!**


	2. A Heck of a First Impression

**Hi guys, here's the next chapter in this new story! Let's see how our young saiyan does in this new world. But first… I guess he should wake up! Lol. Anyway, let's get started!**

 **Chapter 1**

Gohan gasped as he shot up, winching as his side throbbed. He was confused, to say the very least. He looked around frantically at first, his heart beating like a rapid drum as he blinked, sunlight in his face.

Gohan wasn't sure how long he was out, but he had a lot of strange dreams. He faintly remembered a few scattered memories, such as a girl with bright blonde hair, a man with eyes everywhere, on his hands, head, and face, and a scruff, bearded man. He blinked, as he looked around, momentarily confused as his eyes quickly adjusted to the light, and he was quite surprised, to say the least.

He was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. To his delight of his nose, the breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over his legs, and a pillow behind his neck. Actually, Gohan was quite comfortable.

"How… did I get here?" Gohan thought in confusion. This made no sense. The last thing he could remember… Gohan yelped as his head pounded. It was all a fuzzy blur, all he could remember were flashes of memory, and none of it was helpful. He knew his name was Gohan, he knew his father's name was Goku.

Was he… dead? He frowned as he stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of him, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight. If this was the Otherworld, it sure was a pretty place.

"About time you woke up." Gohan turned to see a blonde girl scowling at him. Gohan recognized with a jolt that it was the girl from before. Now, he was able to see her more clearly. She was probably around the same age as him, maybe a little older. She was also a couple of inches taller, and looked pretty athletic, at least he was pretty sure. He really didn't know any athletic girls.

With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, Gohan was pretty fascinated. Her eyes were pretty captivating too. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take him down in a fight. Gohan wasn't sure where it came from, but the way she looked at him made him shudder, as if someone else had looked at him the same way before. She was wearing blue jeans, converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

"Am I dead?"Gohan asked. The girl gave him a perplexed look before laughing.

"What? No! Believe me, if you were in the Underworld, you'd know it." Gohan was confounded to say the least.

"Where am I?" he asked. She glared at him.

"You're in Camp Half-Blood." Gohan blinked at her.

"Ummmm… who are you?" Gohan asked. The girl stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"Seriously?" the girl shook her head before looking at Gohan, who had a puzzled expression on his face.

"Wow, you're an airhead. Look, I'm not the one who landed in the middle of camp like a meteorite! And you were a mess, so I'm surprised that you're actually alive." Gohan scratched his head before letting out a nervous laugh.

"So, did the gods send you? Just tell us where it is, because we're running out of time!" she demanded.

"Where's what? What are you talking about?" Gohan asked. The girl groaned out loud.

"For the love of the gods!" she cursed.

"Ummm… my name's Gohan, by the way. That's pretty much all I can remember." The girl looked at him before letting out a deep sigh.

"Annabeth." She answered. Gohan scratched his head.

"Anyway, come on. Chrion and Mr. D are waiting to see you." Gohan frowned.

"Ummmm… ok." Gohan said as he got up, but Annabeth quickly stopped him, pushing him back down with an extremely red face.

"But first…" she threw a set of clothes at him identical to the ones she was wearing.

"Put some clothes on!" she blurted out before quickly turning away. Gohan winched as he pulled on the shirt and pants that she had given him. He felt pretty good, but a few parts of his body still ached a bit. Once he was fully dressed, he followed Annabeth around the porch.

"Wow." Gohan said with a look of awe on his face. The valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, he simply couldn't process everything that he was seeing.

The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school–age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Annabeth's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless he was hallucinating, some of those horses had wings. Gohan had never seen so many kids in one place before. Then again, he really hadn't gotten out much. At least, he was pretty sure he hadn't gotten out much.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. There was a small kid whispering to the guy whose back was to Gohan, who yet out a tiny yelp when he saw Annabeth and Gohan. But what Gohan's attention were the hooves he had instead of feet.

"Annabeth! He's awake!" he squeaked.

"Gohan, this is Grover Underwood, a satyr here at Camp Half-Blood." Annabeth said.

"Hi!" Gohan shook Grover's hand, who let out a surprised yelp.

"Wow, you're strong!" Grover shook his hand in the air, blowing it repeatedly.

"Well, looks who's finally awake. The kid who ripped up my fields. I can't get a break this week, can I?" Gohan turned to look at the short man who was glaring at him. The man facing Gohan was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt. The other man was much more gruff, wearing a tweed jacket, had thinning brown hair, and a scraggly beard. He was also sitting in a wheelchair.

"Gohan, this is Mr. D, our camp director, and Chrion, our counselor. This is Gohan." Gohan laughed nervously as he ran a hand through his hair. Chrion wheeled around with a smile as he shook Gohan's hand.

"Quite a grip you've got! A pleasure, young man. You had us all worried, given that your injuries were quite extensive. You're lucky to be alive."

"Oh joy." Mr. D grumbled as he shuffled a deck of cards he was holding.

"Thanks." Gohan said

"Do you remember how you got here?" Gohan frowned as he rubbed his forehead. He winched as fragments he couldn't understand flashed through his head.

"I remember… an explosion. Something about a fight. And I remember… lightning." Gohan frowned. That got curious looks between Chiron and Annabeth.

"Give us a moment please?" Chiron wheeled himself to the other side of the porch with Annabeth and Grover, and quickly engaged in a hushed conversation. But, Gohan was still able to hear them. He certainly didn't want to talk to Mr. D, who Gohan was pretty sure didn't like him at all.

"He must be Zeus' son. It's gotta be him!" he heard Annabeth whisper. Chrion and Grover glanced at Gohan and frowned.

"Perhaps. Yet there is still Percy." Annabeth shook her head.

"Seaweed brain? He has no idea what he's doing!" Chrion grimaced. Grover looked frantic.

"It has to be Percy! He's the one that everyone thinks took it! It has to be his quest! Did you forget he beat the Minotaur?" Annabeth glared at Grover.

"That was dumb luck!" she countered

"We don't know anything about Gohan!" Grover protested.

"Grover, Percy is still unclaimed. As is Gohan, Annabeth." Chiron answered.

"Gohan's powerful, you can tell just from looking at him. He must be a child of Zeus, like Thalia!" Chrion glanced at Gohan, but Grover shook his head.

"He doesn't smell right!" Grover protested. Annabeth stared at Grover before snorting with laughter.

"His… smell?" Grover nodded.

"We satyrs know what demigods smell like! He doesn't smell like a demigod!" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"How'd he get into camp if he's not a demigod, Grover?" Grover made a nervous bleating noise.

"He's not completely mortal, but he smells… weird. I've never smelled anything like it." Chrion sighed out loud.

"We will finish this talk later." He ordered. Mr. D snorted out loud

"Are you all done with your little party?" Mr. D held up his hand, and a goblet appeared, much to Gohan's surprise. The goblet filled itself with red wine. Chiron hardly looked up as he wheeled back.

"Cool!" Gohan said with a look of awe on his face.

"Mr. D," Chiron warned, "your restrictions." Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!" More thunder rumbled in the distance. Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and drank.

"Gohan, do you know where you are? What this place is?" Chiron asked. Gohan shrugged.

"Gohan, have you ever heard of the Greek Gods? The stories of Zeus and the other Greek myths?" Annabeth asked.

"Ummmmm…" Gohan laughed nervously as he scratched his head. He kinda of remembered reading a book that mentioned something like that, but his memory was still pretty spotty. Annabeth gave him an incredulous look.

"Okay airhead, here's the basics. Essentially, the Greek Gods from those myths still exist, and they have kids with mortals known as demigods. The world is full of monsters from Greek mythology that try to kill us, so this is like a sanctuary for us. You're here because you're not mortal, Gohan. You're a half-blood. We're stronger, quicker, and smarter than regular mortals. That's why we've got ADHD, we've got battle reflexes hardwired into us." Gohan blinked at that. That seemed right… but wrong at the same time. He couldn't recall ever having ADHD.

"Im not sure…" Annabeth smirked at that.

"Oh really?" Then, in one swift motion, she yanked a glowing knife out of her pocket and hurled it at Gohan. He wasn't sure how, but his hand shot up in a lightning fast motion and grabbed it, an inch from his face. Grover let out a shocked bleat, Annabeth and Chiron's eyes widened, and even Mr. D looked impressed.

"Not bad. I was expecting you to dodge it, not catch it." Gohan blinked in surprise as he handed Annabeth back the knife.

"Those were very impressive reflexes." Chrion frowned.

"Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to celebrate." Mr. D waved his hand at Gohan, who laughed as he ruffled his hair.

"Ummm… thanks." Gohan said.

"I'm taking a nap before that blasted campfire tonight. And I still have to fix the damage this moron did to my fields! This kid is going to be nothing but trouble, just you wait." Mr. D glared at Gohan.

"If you destroy my field again, boy, I'll turn you into something… unpleasant." Gohan shuddered at that before Mr. D strode off the porch.

"Annabeth is correct, Gohan. Normally, we'd be more thorough on your past, but these are unusual circumstances. Perhaps your memory will return in time. But for now…" Chiron paused as he grabbed the sides of his chair, as if he was going to get up from his wheelchair.

And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, Gohan thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, Gohan realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

"Coool!" Gohan said with awe as he looked at Chiron, now with the lower body of a white stallion.

"Annabeth, show Gohan around and take him to Cabin 11, and introduce him to the other campers." Chrion ordered. Annabeth nodded.

"Come on, airhead." Annabeth grabbed Gohan's arm and dragged him off the porch. Chiron frowned as he watched them go.

"There is something strange about that boy indeed..." he muttered.

 **Like? Do you think Gohan will get his memory back? Don't worry, Gohan will meet some familiar faces next chapter, so keep reading as we get underway!**


	3. Making New Friends and Enemies

**Hey! Enjoying this story? Well, don't worry, there's plenty more to come! Well, here's the next chapter!**

 **Chapter 2**

"Come on, airhead, keep up!" Annabeth barked at Gohan, who was trailing behind her, looking around at every single thing. The one thing that bothered him was that everyone seemed to be staring at him. Gohan whistled nervously as they passed the volleyball court, where a group of kids were playing with saytrs. As they walked by, they stopped and whispered.

"That's the kid who crashed in Mr. D's fields!"

"How's he still alive?"

Most of the campers that Gohan had seen were older than him. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts as well, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. Gohan had to admit, the way they stared at him made him feel uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if they were expecting him to do a trick or something. Then, Gohan suddenly paused.

He frowned as he felt a strange feeling come over him, causing him to turn and look back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than he realized when he was standing it—four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. He was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught his eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second. Gohan frowned as he looked at the curtain. He felt strange, like something was up there that wasn't human. He couldn't explain what the feeling was, just that it felt strange and made his skin tingle a bit.

"What's up there?" he asked Annabeth. She looked at where he was pointing, and she gave him a curious look. "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?" she shook her head

"No," Annabeth said with finality. "Not a single living thing." Gohan wasn't sure how, but he knew Annabeth wasn't lying. Still, he had a feeling that something had been looking at him.

"Hurry up, muscle-head. Not only do I gotta show you everything and bring you to Luke, and I've got to finish planning for Capture the Flag." Gohan blinked at her.

"I'm muscle head now?" Annabeth did make a good tour guide, starting with them walking through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. Several of them were in the process of filling in a large crater in the middle of the field, who glared at Gohan as they walked by.

"I did that?" Gohan asked with a baffled expression. Annabeth smirked and nodded.

"Yep. You shot out of the sky two days ago out of nowhere and crashed into the field. Ripped up a lot of plants and ground. Almost squished Castor and Pollox." Annabeth paused to point at a pair of kids working on a large patch, who looked like Mr. D. They gave Gohan a wary look.

"He's okay, guys." Annabeth said. The boys nodded, but still gave Gohan a bit of distance. Gohan's stomach growled as he looked at a large clump of strawberries. He licked his lips, quickly looked to make sure Annabeth wasn't looking, and reached out to yank it out. In a flash, Annabeth whirled and slapped his hand, causing Gohan to pull back with a pouting face.

"What did you do that for?" Gohan yelped. However, it looked like that had hurt Annabeth more than him, who yet out a surprised yelp, winched and blew on her hand.

"By the gods, what are you made of? That was like punching a wall!" Annabeth cursed as she clenched and unclenched her hand.

"Ummm… sorry?" Gohan asked. Annabeth frowned at him, but simply shook her head.

"Anyway, you can't eat any of this. It's not for us." Annabeth explained that the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," she explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort to grow." Gohan wasn't too happy about not being able to eat any of it. It smelled great for one, and it seemed to grow pretty fast.

Annabeth explained that Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but since Mr. D was restricted from growing those, they grew strawberries instead. Gohan crossed his arms as he watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction like the place was on fire. Gohan was fascinated, to say the least.

Annabeth also showed Gohan the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables, which had also had horses with wings(they seemed to like Gohan, much to his delight), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where she said they held sword and spear fights.

"Really? Cool!" Gohan exclaimed with excitement. Annabeth looked interested.

"So you've…fought with a sword before?" she asked with an excited look. Gohan frowned as he looked at his hands.

"Maybe… I can't remember anything yet." Annabeth was disappointed, but managed to hide it. She then showed him a few more places, like the the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough. Gohan found the last one pretty exciting, and actually wanted to try it. Annabeth told him that he'd get his chance eventually.

Finally, they returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led to a group of the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "I'm dropping you off with Luke at the cabins."

"Mmmm... okay. Thanks for showing me around." Annabeth snorted at that.

"Whatever."

"Well, I just hate that I can't remember how I got here or who I am for that matter." Annabeth studied him with a curious look.

"You need to talk to the Oracle. Maybe it will give you the answers you need." Annabeth said.

"Who?"

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

"Thanks, I guess." Gohan looked into the water, and was surprised to see two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved at him, making gurgling giggling noises. Gohan awkwardly waved back.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Sorry. I just want to know who I am so I can get back home, wherever that is." Gohan said as he sat back up.

"Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Gohan? You are home. You had to have come here for a reason, Gohan! This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"What kind of kids?" Annabeth looked frustrated.

"I mean not human kids. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human." Gohan felt strange at that comment.

"Half-human and half-what?"

"I think you know." Gohan was getting a little frustrated, to say the least. But, that comment made him feel strange. His hand twitched, and his head pounded. Gohan had a feeling that that was true somehow, not completely human.

"Do you know who your parents were? Your mom? Your father?" Gohan winched as he clutched his head. For a split second, he had an image of a man glowing gold.

"My dad... I remember him glowing gold. He was... powerful." Annabeth looked extremely pleased to hear that.

"Your dad must have been a god, one of the Olympians. You're his son, a half-god. Like the rest of us."

"But if all the kids here are half-gods—"

"Demigods," Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."

"Okay. But...who's your dad?" Gohan asked with curiosity. He had a funny feeling that he had crossed a line there. Her hands tightened around the pier railing. Gohan got the feeling he'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject.

"Why are all there guys such morons... my dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."

"He's human?" Gohan scratched his head curiously.

"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?" Gohan sputtered with wide eyes. He backed up with eyes, almost falling in. Why were girls so crazy?

"Not the frying pan!" Gohan yelped as he covered his head reflexively. Annabeth gave him a look of pure bewilderment.

"What?" she asked.

"Ummm... Who's your mom, then?" was all he managed to get out.

Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

"And my dad?"

"Undetermined," Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows. Gods don't always reveal their identities."

"You think he sent me here?" Annabeth gave him a cautious look.

"Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens."

"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"

Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always . . . Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Gohan. They ignore us."

"That's mean! They should pay attention to everyone! No one should be ignored!" Gohan said with a baffled expression. Annabeth smiled at that. She could have sworn that he was glowing.

"A lot of us feel that way, but that's not something we can control." Gohan scratched his head.

"So... I'm stuck here?" he asked nervously.

"It depends," Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble—about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

"So monsters can't get in here?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside."

"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"

"Practice fights. Practical jokes." Annabeth answered.

"Practical jokes? That seems a little extreme."

"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."

"So . . . you're a year-rounder?"

Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.

"I've been here since I was seven." she answered. Gohan felt really had a feeling he had no experiences with girls.

"Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."

"Why did you come so young?"

She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business." Gohan had a funny feeling that this was not a girl he should piss off.

"Oh." Gohan stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So . . . I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?" he asked curiously. Annabeth shrugged.

"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless . . ."

"Unless?"

"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time . . ."

Her voice trailed off.

"Come on, I'll show you the cabins." Annabeth abruptly changed the subject, leading Gohan up the path to a large circle of cabins, each with it's own unique design.

"Each cabin represents a different god. Whoever your parent is, that's the cabin you stay in." She then pointed out every cabin and explained who went where, like Aphrodite, Dementer, Hephaestus, etc. Gohan certainly was fascinated, although he didn't recognize any of their names. Now that he noticed, some of the cabins had people in them, but some of them appeared to be empty.

"Come with me a second." Annabeth led Gohan to the first cabin, which looked like a white marble box, with heavy, white columns in the front.

"I'm staying here?" Gohan asked. Annabeth shook her head.

"No, but go inside." Gohan frowned, but pushed on one of the large polished bronze doors, which shimmered like a hologram, and have lightning bolts streaked down the doors, which slid open with a loud creaking noise.

"Cool!" Gohan's voice echoed as he stepped inside and looked around.

The dome-shaped ceiling was decorated with moving mosaics of a cloudy sky and thunder bolts. It also seemed to be thundering all the time. There was absolutely no furniture in there at all. It also had alcoves with golden eagle statues and one intimidating statue in the middle of a large man in a loincloth holding a massive thunderbolt. As he stepped in, it seemed to thunder especially loudly. Gohan wasn't sure what he felt, but he felt strange. After a few minutes of looking around, he left. Annabeth nearly pounced on him.

"So… ummm… do you remember anything yet?" Annabeth asked. Gohan looked at her and shook his head.

"I felt weird… but nothing really." Annabeth looked pretty disappointed.

"Oh well. Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying." A roar of laughter made Annabeth groan out loud.

"This again?" she muttered in frustration. Then a husky voice yelled, "Well, well! Another newbie!"

Gohan blinked in confusion as he turned around. A big girl strode towards them from the large red cabin. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"More friends?" Gohan asked with a curious expression. Annabeth snorted.

"Not exactly." The large girl snorted as she strode up to them.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Seriously? Wasn't what happened with Percy yesterday enough?" Clarisse's nose flared. Gohan had a funny feeling that that was a very sensitive topic.

"Oh, I've got my spear ready for Jackson," the big girl said. "I've been cleaning it all day so I can run him through with it Friday night. Then I'll come after you." Gohan looked between Annabeth and Clarisse, not sure what to do here.

"You know what, Clarisse? Like I said before, Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said. Gohan had no idea what she had just said, but it seemed to be an insult.

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward Gohan. "Who's this little runt? This that brat who wrecked Mr. D's field?" Annabeth nodded.

"Gohan," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

Gohan blinked in confusion. "Who?" Annabeth hid a chuckle, while Clarisse looked like someone had slapped her in the face.

"Ares is the god of war! He is one of the greatest of the gods, you little brat!" Gohan scratched his head as the sky rumbled.

"Ummmm… nope, still don't know." The girls behind Clarisse grumbled angrily.

Clarisse sneered. "Now you're just asking for it! I can't wait to give you the camp initiation, punk." Annabeth finally spoke up.

"Look Clarisse, he's got amnesia. He has no idea who he is or where he came from. Can't you cut him a break until he's fully healed?" Annabeth asked. Clarisse smiled.

"Stay out of it, wise girl! I'm not gonna make the same mistake twice in one week. I'm going to enjoy smashing his face into the toilet!" she grinned as she suddenly lunged at Gohan. Then, Gohan seemed to phase out, causing Clarisse to hit the ground and tumble. Annabeth and the other Ares girls gaped. Annabeth looked around to see Gohan standing three feet to Clarisse's right.

"Whoa!" Gohan breathed as he looked down at himself.

"Whoa." Annabeth said softly. Clarisse hissed as she stood up and whirled to look at Gohan, mud dripping off her pants.

"Now you're going to get it!" she roared as she charged at him. Gohan ducked and whirled to Clarisse's right, resulting in her grabbing air yet again.

"Come on Clarisse, quit messing around!" Clarisse glared at Gohan, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"That's it, forget the toilet! I'm going to grind him into dust!" she roared as she charged at Gohan yet again. Gohan had no idea how he did what he did next. But, when Clarisse charged him, he was able to dodge every blow she tried to make. He had no idea how, but he blocked every move Clarisse made. It was like… she was moving in slow-motion. She was fast, but he was faster. This went on for a few minutes, before Gohan leaped over Clarisse's head, landing in front of Annabeth.

"You're dead! This ends now!" Clarisse roared as she sprinted at Gohan, who blinked and looked at his hands. Then, he looked up at Clarisse.

"Okay." Then, in a flash, Gohan's fist slammed into Clarisse's face, stopping her cold. She let out a loud screech as she staggered back, clutching her nose.

"Sorry about that. But you did kinda leave yourself wide open there." Gohan commented.

"You… little…" then, Clarisse fell back into the mud, unconscious. The other girls raced over to Clarisse, their jaws open in disbelief.

"She'll be fine. She's tough." Annabeth walked over to Gohan and quickly pulled him away, leaving the other girls staring down at Clarisse. When they were standing near the pink cabin, she whirled to look at him, her grey eyes blazing.

"That was… you were…" Annabeth paused and took a deep breath.

"I've never seen anyone move that fast, not even Luke… or Thalia. How'd you do that?" she demanded

"Ummm… I have no idea how I did any of that." Gohan stammered. Annabeth frowned.

"You must have been trained by somebody, because that looked like marital art techniques. I've never seen anyone fight like that. It's certainly not any Greek technique I've ever seen." Gohan could have sworn that Annabeth blushed before she whirled and started walking.

"You are so going to be on my team for capture the flag. Come on." Annabeth led a very confused Gohan towards one of the other cabins, stopping at the door.

"This is Cabin 11. Since none of us, for that matter, don't know where you came from, this is where you'll be staying." Gohan blinked as he looked at the cabin. Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it.

Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. Gohan had never seen so many people cramped up in one place. Gohan laughed nervously as he ruffled his hair. They were staring at him, like sizing me up.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on." Gohan nodded as he stepped inside, looking around with a look of awe on his face.

"Hi! I'm Gohan!" he said, getting a few snickers.

"Annabeth announced, "Gohan, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

Gohan had no idea what that meant, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined." That resulted in a chorus of groans.

"This that kid who flew out of the sky and wrecked Mr. D's fields?" someone else asked. Annabeth nodded. That got a chorus of laughter.

"Sorry we're late, but Clarisse tried to jump him. He knocked her out." That got people's attention.

"He did what?" someone asked.

"With one punch, to the face." Annabeth said with a smug grin. That got a few looks of awe. However, someone roared with laughter.

"Well, well, that takes some skill. You seem to have some talent, Gohan."

A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Come now, campers. Remember what we're here for. Welcome, Gohan. You can have that spot next to Percy." He pointed to a spot next to a kid who was sitting on the floor.

The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now. He's the one that dragged you out of that mess." She explained

"I guess I owe you one!" Gohan said with a grateful look. Luke laughed.

"Don't think any of it! You were pretty messed up, so it's good to see you on your feet so soon. I'd love to hear how you got there in the first place." Luke smiled. Annabeth chose that moment to speak up.

"Well, he has amnesia. He has no idea who he is or where he came from. That got whispers among everyone in the cabin.

"So, I live here?" Gohan asked. Luke nodded.

"For now. You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors, and all travelers. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers." He explained. Then, a massive roar echoed in the cabin, causing everyone to leap up and scramble. Luke and Annabeth looked at Gohan with surprise. He realized that it was his stomach.

"Ummm… sorry. You guys got any food?" That got a mixture of curses and laughter.

"Lunch is in half an hour. I'll leave you guys to it." Annabeth turned and strode out of the cabin, leaving Gohan alone with a cabin full of kids.

He looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given him. For the first time, he realized that he had nothing to put there to mark it as his own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. He had no idea who he was or where he came from.

He looked around awkwardly before sitting down.

"Hi. I'm Gohan." He said to the boy sitting next to him, who also didn't have much besides a large horn. He gave Gohan a curious glance. He had wavy black hair and bright green eyes. He looked around the same age of Gohan, or a little bit older. He smirked.

"Im Percy, Percy Jackson." Percy said. Then, they both shook hands. Gohan smiled.

 _"I have a feeling I'm going to like it here."_ He thought with a smile on his face.

 **You guys like? Don't worry, Capture the Flag's coming up soon, and then the real adventure can begin! You guys like? Then review!**


	4. A Meal To The Gods

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter in this exciting saga! Get ready to see some more fighting!**

Chapter 3

As strangely as this day had gone, it continued to get even stranger.

Gohan liked Cabin 11. Everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. He noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. A lot of them… Gohan couldn't explain it, but they felt… similar. Personally, he liked them. They were the kind of kids that people would peg as troublemakers. Although, he was uncomfortable with all the attention he was getting. A lot of people did glance at him before whispering to each other. He honestly wasn't sure if it was because he had knocked Clarisse out or of how he had gotten into the camp in the first place.

He got along great with his floor mate, Percy Jackson. That was probably since they had arrived within a day of each other, not to mention they had both ended up here with a bang. Percy had apparently taken down some big beast called the Minotaur, which was where the horn had come from. It also helped that they both had had run-ins with Clarisse that ended in her humiliation(and a death threat), as well as a shakedown from Annabeth. As they continued to talk, they were interrupted when the counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact.

"Hey Gohan, I found you a sleeping bag," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store." He handed Gohan a bag filled with the mentioned items.

"Thanks." Gohan said. He frowned as he looked at Luke. He couldn't explain how, but something felt… off about Luke. Luke just felt… off, like something wasn't right. His whole body just tensed up, causing Luke to look at Gohan with confusion.

"You okay?" Gohan nodded as he shook himself off. It was probably nothing

"Thanks again, for saving me before." Luke grinned.

"No prob." Luke sat next to Gohan, pushing his back against the wall. "Tough first day? Clarisse is a pain, we all know that. Still, you're quite an interesting kid." Gohan smiled at that.

"I don't belong here," Gohan said. "I don't even know who I am." Luke patted him on the back.

"That's rough, kid. We all have rocky beginnings. Yours… well, it's been a while since this camp has had a camper make an entrance like that. I don't know how you got here, but it's probably just another move in the gods' scheme."

The bitterness in his voice surprised Gohan, because Luke seemed like a pretty easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything. Before Gohan could say anything, a horn blew in the distance.

Luke gave Gohan a smile before leaping to his feet and yelling, "Eleven, fall in!"

The whole cabin, about twenty, filed into the commons yard. They lined up in order of seniority, so of course Gohan was dead last. since he had come in a day after Percy. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins (including the one that Annabeth had sent Gohan into) at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but now Gohan could have sworn that it was growing silver as the daylight dimmed.

They marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Needless to say, Gohan was still fascinated by everything he was seeing. He was a bit taken back by the other creatures that lived at camp, which he found to be pretty cool. Satyrs ran up from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods, straight out of the woods. Gohan watched with a look of awe as he saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill. Gohan wasn't as shocked as he thought he would be. He had a feeling he had seen far stranger things already, although he had no idea why. In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded, much to Gohan's chagrin. He had to squeeze on to the edge of the bench, barely not falling out. Percy wasn't doing much better either

He also saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and the two boys that he had seen that looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur. Meanwhile, Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with the same gray eyes and honey-blond hair that she had. To Gohan's surprise, Clarisse sat behind him at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends. Although, she did have a bandage on her head, and gave Gohan a venomous look before going back to laughing with her cabin mates. Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! Gohan's mouth watered. He quickly realized how hungry he was.

"Here you go, Gohan," Luke said, handing him a platter of smoked brisket.

Gohan grabbed fistfuls of food and was about to chomp down when he noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. He wondered if they were going for dessert. He liked desert.

"Say whatever you want to drink, and it'll appear." Luke told him. Gohan frowned as he looked at his goblet.

"Coke!" Gohan grinned as the goblet was filled with Coke.

"Come on," Luke told him. Gohan let out a loud whining noise, but reluctantly, very reluctantly, stood up with the plate. He was even more horrified when he saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. He had never seen anything more horrifying in his life. Well, at least he thought he had

Luke murmured in Gohan's ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell." Gohan groaned.

"You're kidding."

His look warned Gohan not to take this lightly, but Gohan couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food. Food that should be in his stomach…

Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes.

"Hermes."

Percy went next, but Gohan wasn't sure what he said before scraping a piece of brisket into the fire. Then, Gohan was next. Only, he wished he knew what the hell to say. He had absolutely no idea who he was.

Finally, he made a silent plea.

"Anyone, help me remember who I am." He said. Then, he very reluctantly scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames. When he caught a whiff of the smoke, he didn't gag. He sniffed the air, and was fascinated by the smell that hit his nostrils.

It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. Heck, Gohan could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke. But, Gohan was more than happy to rush back to the table, where he pulled his plate with so much food he got a few curious looks. But, it was when he started eating that people actually stopped to stare at him.

"Mmmmm! Gnarff! Chomp!" Gohan was inhaling food by the mouthful, gulping down immense amounts of barbecue and other food. There seemed to be no end to the amount of food that Gohan could eat.

"What… in the gods… is he doing?" one of Annabeth's siblings asked. Annabeth numbly shook her head as she watched Gohan strip a 6-pack of ribs clean without choking on bones. It was like a convetor belt. Food went in, bones came out. He then conjured Coke in his goblet and gulped it… and continued to gulp it without stopping, or even coming up for air. That went on for four minutes straight before he came up for a breath.

"I… don't know." She answered. After ten minutes of non-stop eating, Gohan paused to reach for a handful of fried when he saw everyone staring at him, slack-jawed and a little disgusted. Even Chiron and Mr. D, who both had shocked expressions on their faces.

"What?" he asked, muffled with a mouthful of food and a puzzled expression. Percy looked at Luke, who simply shook his head with a puzzled expression.

 _"This kid certainly is weird."_ Percy thought.

 **Funny, right? Don't worry, the action will start soon! Enjoy!**


	5. Eavesdropping on Friends

**Hey! Here's the next jump into this exciting world! Read and review!**

Needless to say, Gohan learned the hard way about manners. After the dinner debacle, Gohan got a lecture from Luke, who had dragged him from the pavilion to the back of Cabin 11, and rained on him for about ten minutes about proper eating behavior, disrespect to the gods, and how it was just plain disgusting. Gohan tried to explain that he had no idea what had come over him, but Luke was still a bit angry, to say the least. Luke gave him a warning to watch how he ate before letting him go. Needless to say, Gohan quickly got into the swing of things. Over the next few days, he settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if one didn't count the fact that he was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur. Still, every lesson just got Gohan even more confused about himself.

Each morning he took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, which he had a lot of difficulty with. The stuff looked like gibberish to him, which confused Annabeth. She explained to Gohan that many demigods had ADHD and dyslexia, due to their battle instincts, and that their brains were hard-wired for ancient Greek. Although Gohan certainly had excellent reflexes, he was pretty sure that he didn't have dyslexia. This just seemed to confuse Annabeth even more. Still, Gohan didn't make any progress at all in that department.

The rest of the day, he would rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something he was good at. Chiron taught Gohan archery, which Gohan actually got the hang of pretty fast. Well, after he got over the problem of accidently breaking bows when he would try to pull back. When that problem was finally resolved, he was able to fire arrows so strong and fast that they practically went through the targets, leaving holes in the target like pincushions. Chiron seemed impressed by Gohan's strength. Well, there were a few accidents. One in particular had Gohan running from a furious wood nymph named Juniper who wanted to brain him with a stick, after an overshot arrow embedded itself in her tree. Thankfully, Grover and Chiron were able to diffuse the situation. Although, many nymphs gave Gohan a wary look afterwards.

When it came to foot racing, Gohan was also spectacular. He ran so fast that he left the wood-nymph instructors in the dust, and even had the kids from Hermes dropping their jaws. Gohan had no idea how he did it, but he was somehow incredibly fast.

And wrestling? Well, those reflexes certainly came in handy. Clarisse tried to floor him… but it ended up with him pinning Clarisse on the mat, over and over again. She was furious, to say the least.

"When Friday comes, you're dead!" she hissed as he pinned her down for the 6th time. Percy and Gohan laughed about that later, since it seemed that Percy wasn't on her hit list anymore. Gohan ended up pinning half of the Ares cabin before people stopped volunteering. The ironic thing was that while Gohan succeeded at almost everything physical, Percy was seemed to be the superior in the mental and craft ability, able to read Greek and was pretty good at canoe racing.

Gohan knew the senior campers and counselors were watching him and Percy, trying to decide who's Percy's father was, and quite frankly, who or what Gohan was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. Gohan's physical skill was impressive, so there were rumors that he might be a son of Ares (to Clarisse's horror) or Apollo. Personally, Gohan wasn't too sure of anything by this point. Meanwhile, he didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or—thankfully— Dionysus's way with vine plants. Meanwhile, Luke told Gohan that he might be a child of Hermes, because of how fast he was. Although, Gohan didn't seem to have the love of practical joking or thieving that the other kids of Hermes seemed to have.

Despite the fact that Gohan's memory still wasn't coming back, he still liked camp. He slowly got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. Most of all, he liked having friends, other kids to hang out with. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that he hadn't had any friends his age. He would eat dinner with cabin eleven(slowly, although it was hard not to gobble it all down), scrape part of his meal into the fire, and try to get his memory back. Nothing came. Just a few scattered memories that made no sense to him, like a sprawling world with a green sky, a woman with black hair working over a stove with a bright smile, a small bald man, and a small house on an island in a sprawling sea. He mentioned these to Chrion and Annabeth, but they had no idea what any of it meant.

On Thursday afternoon, two days after Gohan had arrived at Camp Half-Blood, he had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor.

They started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. Gohan guessed that he did okay. At least, he understood what he was supposed to do and his reflexes were good.

Gohan wasn't sure why, but every sword that he tried to hold felt… wrong. Lifting them was absolutely no problem, but none of them felt right in his hands. Some felt too big, others just felt weird. Luke nodded as he watched Gohan.

"You swing like you have experience. But, you don't seem to favor swords. Your form is all wrong." Luke observed. Ultimately, Gohan ended up with a basic double-ended longsword

They moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be Percy's partner, since this was his first time. Gohan ended up with a blonde girl named Stacy West, daughter of Hermes, who was two years older than him and smirked as she made several wide swings. Gohan frowned as he twisted his own sword in his hands, which felt pretty awkward.

"Just because you're cute doesn't mean that I'm going to go easy on you." She said with a wink.

"Okay." Gohan shrugged. She snorted. Gohan had some skill with a sword, able to parry a few of Stacy's strikes. He still had a long way to go, as he missed most of the time. Still, he was able to dodge every one of her strikes. Gohan wasn't sure how, but there were brief instances where she seemed to move in slow motion.

By the time Luke called a break, Stacy was soaked in sweat, while Gohan didn't seem that tired. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea. Gohan tried it himself, but even that didn't bring down his wet hair. Percy looked exhausted, with his shirt soaked. But, he also looked invigorated.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Gohan doesn't mind, I want to give you all a little demo. He seems to be pretty light on his feet."

The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. Gohan figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon.

"This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Gohan, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."

He demonstrated the move on Gohan in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of his hand. Although, it probably didn't help that he was still trying to adjust holding the blade.

"Now in real time," he said, after Gohan had retrieved his weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready?" Gohan nodded as he got into position, and Luke came after him. Gohan leaped back, flipping through the air and landing back with his sword at his side. Luke looked impressed.

"Not bad." Then, he charged at Gohan, who whirled and clashed Luke's blade with his own. He somehow was able to see Luke's every movement and counter it, over and over again. Luke was actually looking tired. As Gohan stepped back, Luke let out a triumphant grin as he charged forward with a yell. However, Gohan vanished right before Luke hit him, causing Luke to nearly stumble off the edge.

"What…" he whirled when he heard the sound of Gohan roaring, just in time for Gohan's foot to hit Luke clean across the face, sending him tumbling across the ground. His sword spun away Gohan landed clean on his feet, his sword lowered to his side.

"Whoa." He turned to see everyone staring at him with their jaws open. It was clear that none of them had expected him to do that. A large groan caused Gohan to see Luke sit up and rub the right side of his face, which looked like it would probably leave a bruise.

Gohan lowered his sword. "Um, sorry." For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.

"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Gohan, why are you sorry? That was incredible!" Luke grunted as he got up and rubbed the side of his face.

"Let's see if you can do that again." Luke smiled before charging at Gohan. Like before, Gohan vanished out of the way. But this time, Luke was ready for him, and caught Gohan's foot, twisting it in mid-air and sending him tumbling to the ground. But, Gohan was able to bounce off the ground and leap into the air over Luke, swinging down. Luke countered by bending and arching up with his sword, causing sparks to fly as the two blades collided. Then, to Gohan's surprise, Luke jerked the blade to the left, striking the hilt and causing Gohan's sword to fly out of his hands and clatter to the ground. He lunged forward to pin Gohan, but he rolled out of the way and grabbed Luke's wrist, pinning it behind his back. He clamed down on Luke's wrist, trying to get him to release his sword. Luke yelled before letting go of his sword, sending it clattering to the ground. Gohan panted before letting Luke go. Everyone's jaws were on the floor. Luke panted as he wiped the sweat off his brow and flexed his wrist.

He appraised at Gohan with an entirely new interest. "Not bad, pretty good reflexes. You seemed to do all that based on pure instinct. ." Luke nodded slowly.

"Still, I wonder what you could do with a balanced sword. . . ."

On Friday afternoon, Gohan was having a blast. He, Grover, and Percy were among a group working on climbing on the climbing wall. Grover had quickly made it to the top, but Percy had almost gotten roasted by lava. Gohan, though, was having fun. He leaped from one edge to another, light and nimble, laughing as he bounced off edge after edge. All while avoiding the lava. It was moments like these that made him happy, even while his memory was still no good. After climbing the wall for the 6th time, Gohan finally took a break, wandering around the lake while peeping over the edge to look at the naiads, who were continuously flirting with him, twirling in the water and winking at him before going back to weaving baskets. As he passed the pier, he saw Percy and Grover talking to each other. He tried to walk away, but curiosity got the better of him, so he crept closer and hid behind a bush so he could hear Percy and Grover talking.

Apparantly, Grover had had a conversation with Mr. D, and it had not gone well. Grover's face was a sickly shade of yellow.

"Fine," Grover said. "Just great."

"So your career's still on track?" Percy asked

Grover glanced at Percy nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

"Well . . . no." Gohan had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. "He just said you had big plans, you know . . . and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

Percy looked happy. "Well, that's not so bad, right?"

"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest . . . and even if you did, why would you want me along?" Percy looked shocked

"Of course I'd want you along!" he said. Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving . . . Must be nice to have a useful skill." Percy tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. Gohan couldn't help but feel sorry for the satyr. Then, a loud giggle made him turn to see a little wood nymph staring at him. She looked like an 8-year-old girl, with tanned skin, a freckled face, and short choppy brown hair.

"Ssssh!" Gohan hissed before turning back to listen. Precy tried to reassure Grover that he had lots of talents. It didn't seem to work, as it just made him look more miserable. They talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. Finally, Percy asked him about the four empty cabins.

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad." Gohan was interrupted when the nymph poked his shoulder and giggled.

"Your hair's funny." Gohan sighed as he rolled his eyes .

"Shhhh!" Gohan hissed as he silently pointed at Grover and Percy.

"I'm trying to listen!" he mouthed. She giggled as she waggled her finger at him,

"Sneaky!" Gohan groaned as he turned back to listen.

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"

Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades."

"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."

"Zeus got the sky," Percy remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld."

"Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."

"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here . . ." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."

"But Zeus and Poseidon—they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"

Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. "They all swore on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed, causing Gohan to look up curiously. The wood nymph shivered.

Percy said, "That's the most serious oath you can make." Grover nodded.

"And the brothers kept their word—no kids?"

Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo—he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia . . . well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter." Gohan frowned at that.

"But that isn't fair! It wasn't the little girl's fault." Percy protested.

Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of the hill." Gohan ducked as Grover turned to point across the valley, to the pine tree that had the same strange energy that Gohan had sensed before. He couldn't explain what it was, but it felt almost… human.

"All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a hoard of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill." Gohan blinked with wide eyes. So, that was it. Explained why that tree had that strange feeling

"Man, that's awful. Sounds like one intense fight." The little wood nymph shook her head.

The story made Gohan feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl his age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Could he have ever done that?

"Grover," Percy said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?" Gohan leaned even closer, ignoring the nymph's continuous poking.

"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini." Gohan had no idea who those guys were, but they seemed to be a big deal from Percy's face.

"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?" Gohan winched. For a split second, an image of seven glowing orbs and a gigantic glowing green dragon. But, as fast it had come, it quickly vanished, leaving Gohan blinking in confusion.

"No. Never. Orpheus came close. . . . Percy, you're not seriously thinking—"

"No," Percy quickly answered. Gohan wasn't sure why, but he could tell that Percy was lying "I was just wondering. So . . . a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"

Grover studied Gohan warily. Gohan snickered. Even from here, he could tell that Grover hadn't persuaded him that he had really dropped the Underworld idea.

"Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems." Grover explained.

"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."

Grover looked as if he'd just led him into a trap. "I didn't . . . Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were—you know—you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?" Percy seemed a little let down. Gohan shrugged. He started to get up. It was better he get the heck out of here before they found out he was eavesdropping on him.

"So, what's the deal with Gohan?" Gohan froze halfway up. Grover let out a nervous bleat. The wood nymph giggled next to him, causing him to glare.

"Do you mind? Shoo! Go away!" The nymph made out a shocked squeal before leaping out of the bush, causing Grover and Percy to stare at the little nymph. She squealed again before bursting into green mist. Grover and Percy were silent for a minute before Grover bleated angrily.

"Nymphs! They always spy on everything!" he complained. Percy frowned, but it seemed like neither of them had seen Gohan, much to his relief.

"So, what's the deal there?" Grover looked nervous.

"No one knows what he is. He literally fell out of the sky with horrible injuries, yet he's perfectly fine after two days. And all those physical skills? He's incredible! Everyone has different ideas about who he is. Luke thinks he's a son of Hermes, but Chiron thinks he might be a son of Ares (Gohan made a silent gagging noise). Meanwhile, Annabeth thinks he's a son of Zeus. Even shoved him into Zeus' cabin to get a result when she was showing him around." Grover said. Gohan frowned at that.

"What do you think?" Percy asked. Grover bleated again.

"He doesn't smell like a demigod! I've never smelled anything like him, but no one seemed to listen to me! He seems mortal, but there's something else, something that no one had ever seen or smelled before!" Gohan frowned at that before smelling himself. He didn't smell anything. Maybe it was a satyr thing.

"He seems like a nice guy. Not to mention we've both had a crazy week." Percy protested. Grover grumbled.

"He just seems off. No one's sure if he's an ally or a threat. Now everyone thinks that it's hi!" Grover stopped himself, leaving Gohan a little excited and confused. What did everyone think he was? Above, the sky rumbled. Gohan frowned. He had a funny feeling.

"Look, Grover, Gohan seems like a good person. He's not a threat to anyone!" Percy countered angrily as he climbed to his feet. Grover bleated nervously.

"I'm sorry, it's just a lot to comprehend!" Percy sighed.

"Come on, let's got before I get burned by lava again." He tromped off the dock, followed by a nervous Grover. When Gohan was sure they were gone, he poked his head out.

"That was interesting." Then, a loud giggle made Gohan turned to see the water nymphs looking at him with curious expression.

"Ummm…. Hi." The nymphs giggled before squirting water into his face, causing him to yelp in surprise and rub his face dry, before looking at them and glowering at the naiads, who laughed.

"Why is everyone so crazy?" he muttered before walking away.

 **Enjoy that? Capture the flag is right up next, I promise! Enjoy!**


	6. Capture the Flag

**Hey! Its me again. Here's what happens next!**

That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual, Gohan among them. At last, it was time for capture the flag, and Gohan felt thrilled. When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables. Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Gohan heard Percy yell at Luke "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

"Not always," he said. "But often." Gohan was interested by that. From what he had seen, those groups always

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do— repaint the flag?" Percy asked

He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one." Gohan finally spoke up.

"Whose side are we on?" he asked

Luke gave Gohan a sly look, as if he knew something that Gohan didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight.

"We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help." Gohan nodded at that. He couldn't explain it

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded—shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities—in order to win support. Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what Gohan had seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff, but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters, Gohan wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. Although, it didn't help that every time Gohan had gone by one of those girls, they would wink at him and giggle, not to mention a few of them would flip their hair, which always made him beet red and feel weird. It didn't help that they were all very pretty. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They seemed pretty strong. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids Gohan had ever seen, or anywhere else on the planet. It didn't help that Clarisse looked pretty anxious to murder somebody. More specifically, him!

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!" Gohan balked a little. Man, this was one crazy place.

Chiron spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.

"Whoa," Gohan said. "We're really supposed to use these?" he asked as he picked one up and waved it around. Percy looked a little nervous as well.

Luke looked at Gohan as if he were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here—Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol. You and Percy." Gohan grumbled as he picked up his shield. It seemed pretty light to him, but Percy seemed to be having a hard time carrying it. like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes. Gohan did have some difficulty getting his helmet on thanks to his wild hair, which caused the hemlet to keep getting caught on the sides. It ended up taking both him and Percy pulling to get Gohan's helmet on his head.

"This feels funny." Percy smirked as he put his own helmet on.

"You and me both."

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

Everyone cheered and shook our swords as they followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at them as they headed off toward the north.

Gohan managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over his equipment. Percy panted as he followed behind the two of them.

"Hey." Gohan said nervously as he looked at Annabeth. She kept marching, as if Gohan hadn't said a word to her.

"So what's the plan?" he asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?" Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid he'd stolen something.

"Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"

"Border patrol, whatever that means." Gohan gave her a puzzled look. Annabeth signed in frustration.

"It's easy. You and Percy stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan. We'll win this." She pushed ahead, leaving Gohan behind with Percy, both of whom looked at each other.

"Okay," Percy mumbled. "Glad you wanted us on your team." Gohan did feel a little bad.

It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed Gohan and Percy next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.

Standing there alone, with his big blue-feathered helmet and his huge shield, Gohan felt a little awkward. The bronze sword, like all the swords he'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong. Gohan felt a little bad for Percy. He had seemed pretty excited about this.

"You feel like an idiot too?" Percy finally spoke up. Gohan laughed.

"My hair feels funny. I'm not used to wearing helmets." Gohan stated as he tapped the side of his helmet. Percy grumbled. Gohan wasn't sure why, but he felt like he could trust Percy. And if that was the case, he shouldn't spy on him.

"Thanks for sticking up for me with Grover earlier." Percy looked surprised.

"You heard all that? You were there?" he asked with surprise.

"I was kinda walking by and heard you guys talking. So, I kinda… jumped in a bush." Percy looked a little offended.

"You spied on us?" Gohan laughed nervously.

"Welll… not on purpose. I got poked by a wood nymph, and then a naiad squirted in my face." Percy stared at him before bursting into laughter.

"Why is it that all the girls in this camp like you so much?" that caused both boys to burst into laughter.

Far away, the conch horn blew. They heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past them like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory. Gohan pouted. He couldn't explain why, but his body tingled with excitement. He wanted to be right alongside them, charging into battle. Then, he heard a sound that sent a chill up his spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. Gohan couldn't explain how, but he could feel something off, like it was dark and twisted.

"Ummm… did you hear that?" Percy asked nervously.

"Yep." Gohan answered. Percy gulped as he raised his shield instinctively.

"Oh. I was hoping that it was just me." He answered. Then the growling stopped. He felt the presence retreating. Gohan glanced at Percy, who nodded. Slowly, they lowered their weapons.

"Does this feel off to you?" he asked. Percy frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Putting us out here like this, way out on the edge. Does it make sense to you?" Percy shrugged.

"Annabeth's a bit bossy. She probably dumped us out here because we're the new guys and don't fit into her master plan." Percy gestured with his arms sarcastically. Gohan grinned.

"Oh look at me! I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena! Im soooo smart and wise! I know everything! Im the boss, so deal with it, seaweed brain!" he said with a fake high-pitched voice, causing both boys to roar with laughter.

"She calls me airhead and muscle head." Gohan grinned, causing Percy to chuckle.

"She's a strange girl." But then, Gohan frowned.

"Okay, all humor aside. As bossy as Annabeth is, she's pretty smart from what I've seen. I'm not to brag, but she saw what I can do. I'm pretty fast and quick. I mean, everyone knows how I…" Gohan's jaw dropped as realization hit him like a rock.

"Oh gods, I'm an idiot." Percy frowned at Gohan.

"Why?" he asked

"Percy, what's the one thing we've both done since we've gotten to camp?" Percy frowned at him in confusion.

"Our welcome initiation?" Gohan added. Percy's eyes widened as he leaped to his feet.

"Oh gods, we've both humiliated Clarisse! She wants to kill us!" Gohan nodded.

"Annabeth used us! She put both of us together way out here on purpose. We're the bait!" he exclaimed. On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark. It was Clarisse and four of her siblings, and they all looked pretty excited.

"Cream them both!" Clarisse screamed. Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords—not that that made Gohan feel any better. He analyzed the situation fast. It was him and Percy against five of them. They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. Gohan gritted his teeth. Two against five. Even with his skills, that was unfair. The Ares kids grinned as they surrounded Percy and Gohan, and started yelling taunts. Gohan and Percy pressed their backs to each other.

"Ummm… The flag is that way," Percy was the first to speak up. The Ares kids snorted.

"You think we care about some flag?" she snarled.

"Isn't that the point of the game?" Gohan asked. The Ares campers laughed.

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about idiotic guys who make our cabin look stupid! And you two in the same place? Saves us time."

"You guys do that without our help," Percy said. Gohan grinned.

"Nice." He whispered.

"Thanks. Although that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say." Percy whispered back.

"Pulverize them!" Clarisse roared. The other campers roared and charged at Gohan and Percy. Gohan managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not stupid. He raised his blade and blocked several strikes from Clarisse's siblings.

"If we can take out her siblings, maybe we can team up on Clarisse." Percy suggested. Gohan smirked.

"Big if." He laughed. Then, the fight started. Clarisse grinned as she thrust at Percy with her spear. Gohan was relieved when he saw Percy's shield deflected the point, but then Percy stumbled back shaking as his hair stood on end.

"Percy!" Gohan cried.

"Electricity! Her stupid spear's electric!" Gohan gritted his teeth.

"Your turn, punk!" Then, Clarisse jabbed at Gohan, and managed to touch the point with his chest. But then, to everyone's surprise, he fell over laughing.

"What the?" Clarisse cried out in disbelief. Percy gaped. Gohan didn't look hurt at all. He looked like he was having fun!

"Ha ha ha! That tickles!" Gohan cried out while holding his sides. Clarrise jabbed Gohan on his left, causing him to howl with laughter.

"Come on, cut it out! Im gonna pee!" Gohan howled with hysterical laughter as red sparks danced over his body. Clarisse looked flabbergasted.

"You should be cinders, punk!" she spat with a red face. Percy let out a grunt

as another Ares guy slammed him in the chest with the butt of his sword, causing him to hit the dirt.

"Percy!" Gohan yelled as he started to get up. However, Clarisse stabbed him, causing him to howl with laughter.

"Give Jackson a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair." Percy yelped as two of them came at him, causing him to back up toward the creek. Clarisse looked at the laughing Gohan with gritted teeth.

"This loser's mine. Dousing me with toilet water was humiliating, but being knocked out with one hit? That is an insult I can't stand!" Then, she thrust downwards. Gohan's hand shot out and gripped the spear.

"What?" Clarisse gaped.

"Leave…" Gohan stared daggers at her as he slowly stood up, arches of red light dancing over him. He could hear grunts and yells behind him, but he was focused on Clarisse, who was starting to pale.

"My friend…" Gohan's entire body started to glow blue.

"ALONE!" he roared as his knee sank into Clarisse's stomach, causing her to gasp and cramp up. She hissed as she clenched her spear and pushed it forward, tapping Gohan in the shoulder. She smirked as red sparks danced across him. But, it didn't seem like he even felt it. He clenched his end of the spear and began pulling it towards him, gritting his teeth as the light around his body got even brighter. Clarisse's eyes widened beneath her helmet as she realized what he was doing.

"Oh no you don't!" Clarisse hissed as she pulled on her spear, resulting in a tug-of-war for the spear. Gohan snarled as he looked behind him briefly to see Percy somehow holding off all of Clarisse's siblings. He was like a hurricane, standing in the steam and swinging around like a blur. Gohan's thoughts flashed like a blur. He could probably take Clarisse, but Percy couldn't hold them off forever. He had to finish this now, but Clarisse had a strong grip. Then, Gohan gasped as a memory hit him. An image of a glowing gold man dressed in blue and white armor pressing his feet against a giant fat white man, grinning.

 _"Focus on keeping your grip! Don't let go!" he roared with a smile. Then, the hands of the white man ripped from his body, and the glowing gold man smirked as he landed on the ground._

Gohan flashed back with a loud gasp. Clarisse grinned as her grip of the spear tightened.

"What's the matter, wuss? Loosing your grip?" Clarisse hissed. Gohan's eyes widened as he looked down at the spear and Clarisse's grip.

"Her grip… that's it!" Gohan grinned.

"Okay then… hang on!" Clarisse's face showed confusion for a second before realization shot across her face, but it was too late. Gohan dug into the ground and spun in a circle, knocking Clarisse off her feet as he spun around in a circle, her screaming her head off.

"Percy! Heads up!" Gohan yelled before letting go. Percy understood an instant before the other Ares campers, diving out of the creek. Clarisse screamed as she slammed into her siblings, sending them all tumbling into the creek. They groaned as they lay in the creek. Clarisse's spear spun through the air, embedding itself into the ground. Gohan grinned as he pulled the spear out of the ground and strode over to Percy, who looked exhausted.

"You okay?" Percy nodded. He weakly climbed to his feet, but almost collapsed. Gohan quickly held onto him. Percy did look a little roughed up. His arm had a slash in it, but he looked alright besides that.

"Nice trick. But she's going to just get up and beat us up again." Percy panted. To prove his point, Clarisse and her siblings were already starting to get up, beet red with fury.

"You… are so dead!" Clarisse screamed as she got to her feet, glaring daggers at Gohan. He quickly jabbed at her with the spear, tapping her chest with the top. She howled and fell back.

"Doesn't feel so good when you're the one being zapped, huh?" Percy groaned as he flexed his arm.

"Ever taken science?" Gohan asked as he held up Clarisse's spear. Percy smirked.

"I've gotten expelled a lot. Science really isn't my strong suit." Gohan grinned as he held Clarisse's spear over his head.

"What happens when you mix water and electricity?" Clarisse realized what Gohan's plan was a second before he did it.

"You wouldn't, you little!" Clarisse was cut off when Gohan plunged his spear into the creek, causing Clarisse and her siblings to cream and arch as red electricity shot over them.

"Ouch." Percy winched as Clarisse spasmed in the creek.

"I think that's enough." Gohan said after a minute.

"Wait!" Percy turned to look at Clarisse. He looked furious.

"Promise to stop picking on us!" he demanded.

"Go to Hades!" she spat. Percy snarled.

"Fine! Come on, Gohan! Let's go. Let these guys get a taste of their own medicine." He stated. Gohan stared at him in surprise.

"Really?" he asked as he started to follow Percy.

"WAIT!" Clarisse yelled, causing both boys to look at her.

"Yes?" Percy asked.

"…..Fine! I promise!" Clarisse yelled.

"And everyone else! No more picking on anyone at camp! Including newbies! And the same goes for your cabinmates!" Percy added.

"Fine!" Clarisse screamed. Her siblings chimed in the same.

"Made her swear on the River Styx." Annabeth's voice whispered in his ear, causing Gohan to yelp in surprise.

"Swear on the River Styx?" he said in confusion. Percy stared at him, but Clarisse roared with a mix of frustration and rage.

"CURSE THE GODS! Fine! I swear on the River Styx that me and my cabinmates wont pick on anyone at camp including newbies!" Gohan couldn't explain it, but the ground seemed to rumble completely. The deal was complete.

"Okay then!" Gohan grabbed the spear and yanked it out, causing the Ares campers to groan and slump. Then, Gohan gripped both edge and snapped the spear in half.

"Good riddance." Gohan said as he dropped both pieces onto the ground. Clarisse groaned out loud as water poured around her.

Then Gohan heard yelling, elated screams, and then saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks struggled to get up up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.

"A trick!" she groaned. "It was a trick." Then, she slumped to the ground unconscious. Her siblings tried to stagger after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn. The game was over. We'd won. Gohan cheered.

"We did it!" Percy frowned.

"Too bad we missed it." He commented.

They were about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to them in the creek, said, "Not bad, newbies."

Both boys looked around, but neither one of them could see her.

"Great. Now not only do I have amnesia, now I'm hearing things." Then, Gohan yelped as something wacked him on the back of the head.

"Moron." The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that? I coulda sworn you were glowing, Gohan!" she asked. Both boys simply glared at her.

Gohan felt himself getting angry, and he was pretty sure Percy was the same.

"You set us up," Percy stated. "You put us here because you knew Clarisse would come after us, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out." Gohan looked between the two.

"What he said!" Gohan added, not sure what else to say.

Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan. I figured she'd go after Gohan, but I decided to play it safe and put the two of you together so Clarisse wouldn't pass it us and I'd know for sure where she went."

"A plan to get us pulverized!" Gohan pouted angrily. Then, he turned to look at Percy.

"Should we throw her in the lake?" Percy looked angry as he glared at Annabeth.

"It's a really tempting thought!" he added. Annabeth snorted as she rolled her eyes.

"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but . . ." She shrugged. "You didn't need help. You should thank me for suggesting the River Styx oath, or Clarisse would have just jumped you later. Clever trick with the spear and water, Gohan." Annabeth said. He grinned.

"Thanks." He laughed as he ruffled his hair.

"By the way, try to throw me into the lake, and I'll make you regret it!" Then, Annabeth looked at Percy's wounded arm. "How did you do that?"

"Sword cut," Percy said. "What do you think?"

"No. It was a sword cut. Look at it."

The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As they watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared.

"I—I don't get it," Percy said. Annabeth was thinking hard. Gohan could almost see the gears turning. She looked down at Percy's feet, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."

"What—" Gohan frowned as he looked down. One of Percy's feet was actually standing in the creek. He must have stepped in it absentmindly.

"Just do it." Percy came out of the creek and immediately looked bone tired. His arms started to go numb again. His adrenaline rush left him. Percy almost fell over, but Gohan steadied him.

"Don't pass out on me." Gohan grinned.

"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want . . . I assumed it would be Zeus. . . ." she frowned as she looked at Gohan

"I saw you against Clarisse, Gohan. You were glowing blue. I mean actually glowing. And that spear didn't hurt you, you barely even felt it! You made Clarisse look like she was nothing! Come on!"

Before Gohan could ask what she meant, they heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest. Gohan blinked as he felt that same dark energy again. The campers' cheering died instantly.

Chiron shouted "Stand ready! My bow!"

Annabeth drew her sword. There on the rocks just above them was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers. It was looking straight at Percy. Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"

She and Gohan tried to step in front of him, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over them—an enormous shadow with teeth— and just as it hit Percy, he stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through his armor, sending them tumbling on the ground.

"NO!" Gohan roared as he clenched his fists. Then, he started to glow, a blue aura surrounding him. The wind picked up and the ground shook as Gohan grew brighter and brighter, glowing a deep blue.

"Leave my friend… ALONEEEE!" he roared. Then, he shot forward in a glowing ball of light, slamming into the side of the hound headfirst, sending it flying into the side of a massive tree with a loud crack. Gohan fell back and landed on his butt, the light vanishing as fast as it had started. Annabeth gaped at him with her jaw hanging open.

The hound whimpered as it struggled to stand, but then there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hound's neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead. Gohan grunted as he got up and rushed over to Percy.

By some miracle, Percy was still alive. Gohan didn't want to look underneath the ruins of Percy's shredded armor. His chest felt warm and wet, Another second, and the monster would've turned him into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat.

Chiron trotted up next to them, a bow in his hand, his face grim.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't . . . they're not supposed to . . ." Then, she looked at Gohan.

"Gohan… how did you… I mean, what was… how did you do that?" she sputtered.

"The hound is the more imminent threat, Annabeth. Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp." Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone. We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared.

"Percy's wounded," Annabeth told Chiron. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this."

Percy was too tired to argue. Percy stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around him. Gohan gaped as a brilliant green light flashed over Percy's head. It formed into a hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident.

"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around Percy, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it. Gohan frowned as he looked around, not sure what to do. Then, Annabeth reached out and grabbed his shirt, forcing Gohan to his knees.

"Hey!" he protested, but everyone ignored hi,

"My father?" Percy asked, completely bewildered.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

 **Enjoy that? Next up, the quest begins! Will our half-saiyan loop himself in? Read and review!**


	7. A New Mission

**Hey! Happy 2016, everyone! A whole new year of adventures and more stories! Anyway, let's get the ball rolling!**

Chapter 6

If Gohan had felt like an outcast before, he definitely felt much like one now. While Percy had gotten taken out of Cabin 11 and been moved to cabin Three, Gohan was still undetermined. So, he stayed in Cabin 11. Well, now everyone gave him a wide berth since they had seen him smash into that hellhound. He had some elbowroom at least, so he was grateful for that. And another enjoyment was how pissed off Clarisse was. She stalked around furious, but thanks to the oath she had made, she hadn't tried to get revenge. She did shoot him venomous glances everytime she saw him.

Annabeth still taught Gohan Ancient Greek in the mornings, but he still had absolutely no luck in learning any of it. Not that she really cared. She never really paid attention during their lessons. She was muttering the whole time, and giving Gohan slight glances.

After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest . . . Poseidon? . . . Dirty rotten . . . Got to make a plan . . ."

When it came to sword training, he trained alone with Luke, who didn't slack with him in the slightest. Gohan was still pretty fast, evading Luke most of their practice sessions.

"Again!" he ordered when he knocked Gohan onto his rear end.

"Ouch…" Gohan commented as he got up.

"Come on, show me that hidden power of yours!" Luke grinned as he twisted his sword.

"Did you have to go that hard?" Luke smirked

"You're good, Gohan. You may have beat Clarisse, but don't get cocky! You need to know how to use a sword! Another 50 repetitions!" After that exhausting lesson, Gohan was walking back towards the cabins, when he paused and looked at Cabin Three. He paused for a moment, but forced himself to run up to the door and knock.

"Come in! What is it now?" Gohan poked his head in to see Percy scowling at a newspaper, looking pretty pissed off. He looked up and quickly changed when he saw it was Gohan.

"Oh, hey Gohan. Sorry, I'm a little pissed off at the moment." Gohan laughed nervously as he looked around.

"Nice place you've got here." Gohan felt like he was in a aquarium. He could smell salt in the air, and the room looked deep blue and made of seashells. It seemed pretty cool. Percy didn't seem very happy, though.

"Thanks." Percy muttered as he looked back at the paper.

"Like the paper?" Gohan joked. Percy scowled

"Someone slipped it under the door. It's got an article about in it. Probably Clarisse. I'm having a hard time reading it. Doesn't help that everytime I understand a part, it gets even harder to read it." Gohan frowned.

"I'll read it." Gohan took it from Percy and started to read:

"BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT

BY EILEEN SMYTHE"

"Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline." Gohan finished. Percy looked incredibly pissed off. It probably didn't help that the phone number was circled in black marker. Gohan quickly crushed the paper and threw it out the window.

"Not a very good one." Percy smirked a little at that.

"You could read all that?" Percy asked. Gohan nodded.

"Yeah, it really wasn't hard at all." He answered. He looked a little surprised.

"Annabeth said all demigods are dyslexic. That doesn't look like gibberish to you?" Gohan shrugged and shook his head.

"Anyway, aren't you worried about being a fugitive?" Percy shrugged.

"Can't be any worse than not knowing where you're from or why you're here." Gohan nodded at that.

"Thanks for not ditching me. I guess you're in it as bad as me. Probably even worse, now that I think about it." Both boys laughed at that.

"Maybe we'll end up helping each other that." Percy laughed at that.

"I guess. Maybe all this craziness will make sense soon. I'm sure you'll figure out who you are soon." Gohan smiled weakly.

"I hope." He answered. The next day, Gohan sighed with exhaustion as he walked from another session with Luke. He walked alongside the lake, a little bored. Dinner wasn't anytime soon, and he wasn't in the mood to go back to the cabin. He ended up finding himself by the pier. Gohan grinned, and then proceeded to quickly take his clothes off and dive into the water.

"Ahhh…" Gohan thought as he swam through the water. He felt much better as he swam through the water. For some reason, he really didn't have a problem with holding his breath. He swam deep, looking around at the underwater world with wonder. After several minutes, a loud giggling made Gohan turn to see several nayiads staring at him. The only way he could tell them apart was their hair. One had brown hair, one had black hair, and the third had red.

"Hi!" Gohan waved. The nayiads made loud giggling noises and pointed at him.

"Wow, he's buff! In more ways than one!" the black haired one said. The others looked red.

"What are they staring at?" Gohan frowned as he crossed his arms.

"He's certainly a tough one. More than that son of Poseidon." Gohan scowled.

"What's wrong with Percy?" Gohan almost shouted, but quickly remembered that he was underwater.

"But he's… different." The one with red hair giggled.

"Yes. Different from other demigods. Powerful, very powerful. And very strong." She reached out and patted Gohan's chest, causing him to let out a surprised gasp for air, quickly kicking to the surface, while the nayids gurgled with laughter. He popped his head above the surface and took several deep breaths.

"There you are!" He blinked and looked up to see Annabeth glowering at him from the pier.

"Ummmm… hi." Gohan waved. She glowered.

"Come on! Chiron wants to see you!" Gohan frowned as he swam over to the pier, and started to pull himself up.

"So, what does he want?" However, Annabeth didn't answer him. Her face had turned incredibly beet red as she stared at him.

"What?" Gohan asked curiously.

"YOU… YOU…" she stammered as she pointed at him. Gohan frowned in confusion as he waved his hand in her face.

"Ummm… are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked.

"PUT YOUR PANTS ON!" she roared as she shoved Gohan's clothes at him before covering her face and turning around.

"Ummm… okay." Gohan frowned as he pulled his clothes on. Annabeth didn't look at him the whole way they walked up to the big house, her face beet red the whole time. Gohan frowned as he looked at the sky. It looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction.

"Is that a problem?" Annabeth glanced at the sky.

"No," she said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

Gohan pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"

She glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does." Gohan pondered that, realizing that she was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley. But this storm . . . this one was huge.

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.

Gohan frowned as he stared at the sky before looking at the Big House as it came into view.

"So, why does he…" he looked around in confusion. Annabeth had vanished.

Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. "Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents—two sets of cards hovering in the air. Percy and Grover were already there, and neither one looked happy.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our other little celebrity. Two in one, what a treat."

Gohan looked at Percy, who simply shrugged.

"Come closer, Johnson" Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house. Gohan frowned as he looked up.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said."

"Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"And you too, shiny boy. You seem to have a flair for the dramatic, like ripping up my field! I don't care if you do turn out to be Lightning Head's son." Gohan gulped.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause both your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.

"I'm with Chiron on this one!" Gohan quickly said. Mr. D glared at him.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "They wouldn't feel a thing.

Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning Johnson into a dolphin instead, sending him back to his father. And you? You think your mind's messed up now? Oh, I the things I could do to your mind. I could made you think you were a chicken, or a raving lunatic!"

"Mr. D—" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table.

"I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If those two are still here when I get back, I'll turn Johnson into an Atlantic bottlenose, and make the other one into a mad lunatic who thinks everything is made out of cheese. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do. As for this one…" he paused to point at Gohan.

"You'd prefer a life of insanity over the alternative. I don't know how you got here or where you came from, but I don't like it, one bit." Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass. He snapped his fingers. The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, you two, please. And Grover. "

We did.

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Gohan could tell that Percy was trembling, but he did hide it well.

"It scared me," I said. "it wasn't for Gohan, I'd be dead. He really hit it hard. And if you hadn't shot it…" Chiron nodded.

"That was a very impressive feat you preformed, Gohan. And I've already heard the story of how you dueled Clarisse, and how her spear did not affect you. Tell me, how did you accomplish these feats?" Gohan winched as he held his head. Everytime he tried to think about it, his head throbbed.

"I can't… It's all a blur." Chiron nodded.

"I've seen amnesia before. You must have experienced some sort of trauma that caused it." Grover bleated.

"He fell from the sky and smashed into Mr. D's field! That would probably explain it." Chiron shook his head.

"Yes, but I'm referring to the event that led to Gohan coming here. I don't know what it was, but it must have been quite horrific. Hopefully, your memory will return in time." A lous clap of thunder caused everyone to look up nervously.

"You'll meet worse than the hellhound, Percy. Far worse, before you're done." Now, Gohan was confused.

"Done . . . with what?" Percy asked.

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

Both boys glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.

"Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as they could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable . . . something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks. Gohan felt confused, like he was the only guy who didn't know what was going on.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And . . . I've also been having these dreams." Percy said nervously. Gohan stared at Percy in confusion. But, Grover looked excited.

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement.

"It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries.

They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen.

To be precise: a lightning bolt." Gohan was the one to laugh, getting curious looks.

"A lightning bolt, really? Boom Boom, that kinda thing?" he asked. Percy smiled a little at that. Chiron and Grover didn't laugh, however.

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh." Gohan felt a little sheepish at that. It sounded really powerful.

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?" Percy asked.

"Stolen," Chiron said.

"By who?"

"By whom," Chiron corrected. Gohan crossed his arms at that. For some reason, he felt annoyed whenever someone mentioned learning or school. He couldn't explain why.

"Supposedly... by Percy"

Needless to say, both boy's mouths fell open. Gohan roared with laughter.

"Okay… look, I haven't known Percy that long, but he doesn't seem capable of stealing anything!" Percy looked relieved.

"Thank you!"

"At least"—Chiron held up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes Percy's father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't—" Percy began to say

"Patience and listen, children," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy . . . ?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam. . . ." He looked at Percy as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight. Gohan shrugged

"Don't look at me. I have no idea about any of this." Chiron signed and shook his head.

"Something about a golden net?" Percy guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods . . . they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along—the proverbial last straw."

"But I'm just a kid!" Percy tried to protest.

"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you. . . . Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon—my dad—he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Percy tried to protest.

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"Bad?" he guessed.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight." Gohan winched. That sounded bad. He yelped as he pressed his hand to his forehead as an image shot through his head, of a green world with a dark sky that had red lightning flashing, and a cracking ground, with lava shooting out of the ground into the sky while the wind whipped like a hurricane. The world was dying. He gasped as he teturned back to reality.

"Bad," Percy repeated.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence. Gohan frowned.

"So much for it never raining." Gohan commented. Chiron sighed.

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy asked.

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

Percy swallowed. "Good reason."

"You agree then?" Percy looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly.

"All right," Percy said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin." Gohan blinked.

"Wait, why am I here if it's Percy's quest?" Chiron frowned.

"He will be allowed several companions. I hope that one of them will be you rather than…" Chiron trailed off.

"It's time Percy consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more." Gohan stared after Percy.

"This feels awkward." He fidgeted uncomfortably.

Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor.

Percy pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.

The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else . . . a smell he remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.

He held his breath and climbed.

The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things—severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters. A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N.Y., 1969.

By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; she'd been dead a long, long time.

Looking at her sent chills up his back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes. He stumbled over himself trying to get to the trapdoor, but it slammed shut. Inside his head, he heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around his brain:

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.

He wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom. But I forced myself to take a deep breath.

The mummy wasn't alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist. But its presence didn't feel evil, like his demonic math teacher Mrs. Dodds or the Minotaur. It felt more like the Three Fates he'd seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human. But not particularly interested in killing me, either.

He got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?"

The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies.

His fists clenched, though he knew this poker party couldn't be real. It was an illusion, made out of mist.

Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle:

Four shall go west, and face the god who has turned. The broken one will become whole.

His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice:

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. The lost warrior's power will reawaken once more.

The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said:

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend."

Then, Eddie, his building super, delivered the worst line of all:

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

The figures began to dissolve. At first he was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy, Percy cried, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"

The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. She reclined back against the wall. Her mouth closed tight, as if it hadn't been open in a hundred years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos.

His audience with the Oracle was over.

Gohan was bored. He leaned back and drummed the table with his fingers, making a noise that really seemed to annoy Grover. Then, a thumping noise made them turn to see Percy walked through the door.

"Well?" Chiron asked.

I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen." Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important." Gohan was a little excited.

"Did it say anything about me?" Gohan asked.

Percy was silent for a moment before answering.

"She . . . she said four would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover said.

Chiron didn't look satisfied.

"Four? She said four? You're certain?" Percy nodded. Chiron looked surprised.

"Unusual… very unusual… anything else?" Percy was silent before answering.

"She said that the broken one would become whole, and the lost warrior's power would reawaken once more." Chiron looked at Gohan. Grover bleated nervously.

"This could be about you, Gohan. This could be a reference to your amnesia, as your mind is broken. Perhaps this means your memory will heal." Gohan looked hopeful.

"But the lost warrior's power? I am unsure what that means. What else?" Chiron asked. Percy looked nervous and conflicted.

"No," he said. "That's about it." Gohan frowned. He didn't know how, but he could tell Percy was lying. However, he didn't say anything.

Chiron studied Percy's face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

Gohan got the feeling he knew Chiron was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better.

"Okay," Percy said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?" Gohan shrugged.

"Don't look at me." Gohan shrugged.

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

Percy was silent for awhile. "Hades." He finally answered.

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but—but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested.

"Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon. . . ." Gohan frowned at that. This Hades didn't seem like a very nice guy.

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp." Grover frowned as he looked at Gohan. Gohan frowned before he realized what Grover was basically saying.

"Whoa whoa whoa! I'm not a spy!" Grover bleated angrily.

"I knew you didn't smell like a demigod! Maybe he's a spy for Hades from the Underworld!" Gohan looked livid.

"I should throw you into the lake!"

"ENOUGH!" Chiron rose to his full height, causing both boys to sit down.

"Gohan's not a spy, Grover. Besides, he attacked that hellhound! Why would he do that if he was working for Hades?" Percy protested. Chiron nodded.

"I agree. It is very unlikely that Gohan here works for Hades, especially given the method that he arrived. Never the less, Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

"Great," Percy muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."

"But a quest to . . ." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year." Gohan snorted.

"Maybe you should have chicken legs instead goat legs, you certainly act like a chicken." Grover let out an angry bleat.

"Enough! Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted.

"He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips. But Gohan… he frowned as he looked at his hands. He was trembling too. But, he didn't feel afraid. Actually, he felt pretty excited! The though of going on a grand adventure and taking on a super bad god made him want to dance. He was looking forward to this adventure!

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said.

"Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you "think the gods always operate through humans?" Gohan couldn't help but laugh.

"That seems to be a pretty big weakness for a god." The sky seemed to explode with thunder at that comment, causing Grover and Chiron to look up at the sky nervously.

"Gods don't like being called weak, Gohan." Chiron stated.

"So, you're saying I'm being used." Percy stated angrily.

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you." Gohan looked at Percy with a little bit of pity. It seemed like Percy's dad only did this so he could use him. And that didn't seem to be fair at all.

I looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said . . . I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

Gohan couldn't explain it, but he got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but he decided he couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too.

"So let me get this straight," Percy said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check." Gohan was the one to comment this time, getting a glare from Chiron.

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly. Gohan grinned and made a loud clucking noise, causing Gohan to bleat angrily. Chrion had to break it up before the two of them killed each other.

"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh . . ." He shifted his hooves. "No . . . it's just that satyrs and underground places . . . well . . ."

He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If . . . if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

Percy looked incredibly relieved.

"All the way, G-man." I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America." Gohan scratched his head at that.

"That makes sense… I guess." He commented.

"Where?"

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"Oh," Percy said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane—" he began to say

"No!" Grover shrieked, so loud that Gohan tumbled off his chair. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?" Gohan grumbled as he climbed back into his chair.

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said. "So, I'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Normally, two companions may accompany you. However, these are special circumstances." Percy and Gohan looked confused.

"The oracle said that four would go. So, it seems you will have three companions instead of two for this quest. Grover is one. And it seems that Gohan is the second." Gohan looked pretty happy at that.

"Of course I'll go!" Percy looked very relieved at that. Grover bleated

"Why Gohan?" he asked. Chiron frowned.

"The broken one seems to refer to you, Gohan. It seems that it means that your memory will return. As for the lost warrior… I am unclear if this refers to you or not, but like I said before, these prophecies often have double meanings." Gohan raised his hand again, causing Chiron to sigh.

"Yes, Gohan?" he asked.

"Well, me and Grover make three, but who's going to be the fourth?" Chiron didn't look bothered at all.

"To answer your question, Gohan, the fourth has already volunteered, if Percy will accept her help."

"Gee," Percy said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?" To answer his question, the air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket. She didn't look at Gohan, however, but her face was still tinged red.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up. Especially if you plan on taking this moron with you." she gestured at Gohan.

"Hey!" he protested angrily.

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?" Gohan laughed, causing Annabeth to glare at him. Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?" Gohan raised his hand. Chiron sighed.

"Once again, you do not need to raise your hand, Gohan." Gohan slowly lowered his arm.

"I do. Even if she's bossy, pushy and" Annabeth whirled on Gohan with a red face.

"You better pick your next words very... carefully" Gohan decided not to say anything

"Four then." Percy quickly interrupted. "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing.

"Alright! We're going to save the world!" Gohan cheered as he pumped his fists in the air.

 **Everyone enjoy that? Trust me, there's plenty more to come! Read and review!**


	8. A Turbulent Bus Ride

**Hey fans! With the new year underway, I want to tell as many exciting tales as I can! Anyway, here's the next chapter in this exciting saga! Enjoy!**

It didn't take Gohan long to pack. After all, he hadn't had anything but his clothes to begin with, so he simply packed an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a spare backpack that Grover found. After he finished packing, he hurried to the camp store to join Percy and the others.

The camp store loaned Percy one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas.

These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron explained to them, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions—whatever that meant. He gave Gohan, Annabeth and Percy each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if they were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded them. It would cure them of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half- blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.

"Best not to consume them in your usual method, Gohan." Chiron advised, causing gohan laugh nervously as he ruffled his hair, while Annabeth groaned in embarrassment.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told them had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. Percy was sure the knife would get them busted the first time they went through a metal detector. Gohan really didn't care in that regard.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. Percy had already told Gohan the story of how he had known Grover at his old school in disguise as a crippled kid. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes. Gohan's ears couldn't stand it.

They waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Gohan still couldn't shake the weird feeling he got from the tree everytime he got near it.

Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude that Gohan had seen when he was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security.

He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so he could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck. It still really creeped Gohan out, though, every time one of the eyes blinked at him.

"This is Argus," Chiron told Gohan. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

Gohan heard footsteps behind them, turning to see Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you." Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. Gohan snickered, causing Annabeth to glare at him.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told them. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these."

He handed Percy the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal.

Luke said, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much, he dropped them. Gohan yelped as he as he leaped a foot into the air, causing Annabeth to giggle. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His expression turned sad. Gohan couldn't help but feel bad for him, although he still couldn't help the weird feeling he got from Luke.

"Hey, man," Percy said. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy ..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?"

They shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. He then turned to Gohan.

"You're pretty brave, Gohan. I hope you remember who you are. You're a tough kid, that's for sure. Just remember to trust your instincts." He clapped Gohan on the back, winching before he headed back down.

After Luke was gone, Gohan told Annabeth, "You're hyperventilating." Annabeth glared at him with a red face. "Am not." "Are too." She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" Percy added. Now Annabeth looked annoyed.

"Oh ... why do I want to go anywhere with either of you morons?" She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white veicle that Annabeth told Gohan was an SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

"Girls!" Gohan waved his arms in frustration. Percy snorted.

"Believe me, Annabeth's actually much better than some of the girls I've known." Percy picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. He looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you." Gohan waved his hand.

"I'll take them! I'll take them!" A minute later, Gohan grinned as he stared down at his feet.

"Maia!" He laughed as he shot into the air and twirled around, making loops as he twisted through the air. He couldn't explain it, but it somehow felt natural to him, like he had done it before. Chiron looked surprised as Gohan shot towards the ground, landing perfectly on his feet. Chiron looked amazed.

"You're a natural. You seem used to it." Gohan nodded.

"I cant explain it, but it feels natural to me." Chiron smiled.

"I do hope your memory returns to you, Gohan. I look forward to seeing you again." Gohan laughed at that.

"Thanks." Then, Chiron caught Percy's arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason—they all got more training."

"That's okay. I just wish—"

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this."

He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.

"Gee," he said. "Thanks."

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

Gohan watched as Percy took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in his hand. In half a second, he held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather- wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.

"Cooool!" Gohan exclaimed with wide eyes.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told them. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"'Riptide,'" Percy translated.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

Percy looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know."

"Now recap the pen."

He touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because he was famous for losing pens at school.

"You can't," Chiron said.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."Gohan watched as Percy threw the pen down the hill.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told him. "Now check your pocket."

After several minutes, Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out the pen. Gohan grinned.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," Percy admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?"

"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."

He put Riptide back in his pocket.

"What about me? Do I get a sword?" Gohan asked. Chiron frowned.

"I do not know what you are skilled in, Gohan, but you seem capable of defending yourself without a blade. Not to mention, none of our blades seem to work for you." Gohan signed. Brilliant. He was being thrown out in the world to fight lots of monsters without a sword.

"Chiron ..." Percy said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age." Gohan thought that was pretty cool. This world seemed pretty interesting.

"So what was it like ... before the gods?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?" Percy asked.

Chiron gave them a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny ... assuming we know what that is." Percy said.

"Relax," Chiron told them. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," Percy said. "I'm very relaxed."

"I'm excited! This is going to be fun!" Chiron looked at Gohan and sighed.

"Dear boy… this quest will be anything but fun."

When they got to the bottom of the hill, Gohan looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

"At least we're getting a cool sendoff." Gohan said. Percy agreed with that.

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. Percy felt weird to be on a highway again, squished between Annabeth, Grover , and Gohan as if we were normal carpoolers. Annabeth did not look very happy about being stuck next to Gohan, who was looking out the window and making ohh and awing at everything outside, from every McDonald's, to every kid in the back of his parents' car every billboard and shopping mall. Gohan couldn't explain why, but it all felt new to him, like he had never seen anything like it before.

"So far so good," Percy told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster." She gave him an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain." Gohan grinned.

"Aww, lighten up! Where's the fun in that?" Annabeth glared at him.

"Can it, muscle head." Gohan pouted.

"Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?" Percy asked

"I don't hate you." She answered.

"Could've fooled me." He answered. Gohan grinned.

"Oh snap!" Gohan laughed..

She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look ... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"Why?"

She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her." Annabeth explained

"They must really like olives." Percy answered.

"Oh, forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza— that I could understand."

"I said, forget it!" she snapped.

"Why do you hate me?" Gohan asked. Annabeth groaned in frustration.

"I don't hate you either! You're just an airhead who seems to think with his muscles instead of his brain." Gohan stared at her.

"You've been acting weird towards me since the pier. When you yelled at me to put my pants on after I finished swimming." Annabeth turned deep red.

"Wait, what?" Percy asked.

"You just can't take your clothes off and jump in the bay!" She snapped. Grover bleated at that.

"Oh… you saw Gohan's…"

"I don't wanna talk about it!" Annabeth snapped. Gohan stared over her at Percy. He sighed. He guessed he was going to have to be the mature one.

"Gohan, just keep your pants on next time you jump in the bay. That's what normal guys do." Gohan shrugged.

"Fine! I just don't get why girls are so crazy!" Annabeth started and whirled on Gohan.

"I'm crazy? I'm crazy? You've got some nerve!" Gohan and Annabeth quickly dissolved into arguing, while Percy sighed in frustration.

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at Percy.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, Gohan sighed as he stretched his arms. He glanced at a mailbox, and saw a soggy flyer with Percy's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

Percy ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice.

"Don't tell them, ok?" Gohan nodded.

"Fine by me." Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'm never going to get used to that." Gohan commented.

"That makes two of us." Percy added. Annabeth walked over to them.

"You guys ready?" Annabeth asked. They nodded.

"Look, are you two going to fight anymore? Because I'm really not in the mood." Percy asked. Gohan and Annabeth looked at each other. She threw her arms into the air.

"No problem here." Gohan answered. Annabeth snarled before nodding.

Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction Percy was looking. Gohan had no idea what was going on.

"You want to know why she married him, Percy?" he asked. He stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"

"Just your emotions." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"

He nodded.

"Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told him. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week." Gohan frowned. Without any warning, Gohan leaned into Percy's chest and sniffed.

"Dude!" Percy yelped. Gohan frowned as he leaned back and looked at Grover.

"I don't smell anything." Gohan scowled. Grover bleated angrily.

"You can't smell it, you idiot!" Grover quickly regained his composure before continuing.

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better." Gohan wasn't sure what to say here.

"She sounds like a nice lady." Percy smiled weakly.

"She was. What about yours?" Percy quickly realized his mistake.

"I… I didn't mean." Gohan smiled. For some reason, Gohan had an image of a frying pan flash through his mind that made him cringe.

"It's fine. My memory's not back yet, but I'm pretty sure she's nice. She's probably worried sick." Percy nodded at that.

"I'm sure your memory will come back. The Oracle said it would!" Percy tried to cheer Gohan up. It really didn't work. The rain kept coming down.

They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad myself. But Gohan, he was amazing. He could bounce the apple off everything. He couldn't explain how, but it was all slow motion to him.

The game ended when Gohan tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to the satyr's mouth. In one mega goat bite, their Hacky Sack disappeared—core, stem, and all. Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth, Percy and Gohan were too busy cracking up.

Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air.

"What is it?" Percy asked. "I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

But Gohan could tell it wasn't nothing. He couldn't explain it, but something felt off. He got a weird feeling, like he was sensing something bad. But he couldn't figure out what it was or where it was coming from.

He was relieved when they finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. They stowed our backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto Percy's knee. "Percy." Gohan looked around in confusion.

"What's going on? What's going on?" he yelped nervously. Annabeth slapped her other hand over his mouth.

"Shut up, muscle head!" she snapped. She pointed at the front of the bus.

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered. Percy gulped.

"Oh crap. It's Mrs. Dodds." Gohan stared at Percy as he scrunched down in his seat.

"Wait, you mean the psycho math teacher from your old school?" Gohan whispered. Percy nodded.

"Same one." Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds—same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves. Gohan gritted as he clenched his fists. Now he knew where that dark energy he had felt had come from. They felt black, pure evil. He clenched his fists.

The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," Percy said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious!" Annabeth glared at Gohan.

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned as he tried to pull one open.

"Come on!" Annabeth hissed in frustration.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

Unfortunately, there wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, they were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

.

"They wanna fight? Bring it on! Four against three!" Grover looked horrified.

"Don't be a fool! They'll rip us apart!" Gohan gritted his teeth. Annabeth nodded.

"Grover's right. We can't fight them head on." Gohan snarled.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes, Percy." Annabeth reminded. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Gohan had to agree with that one.

She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ... ?"

They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

"I hate waiting like this! We should make a move before they do!" Almost as if by cue, Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?" Percy asked.

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away." Percy looked shocked.

"Wow, way to think of him instead of us." Annabeth glared at him.

"Not now, moron!" Percy nodded.

"Gohan's right. I can't abandon you guys—"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

"I can't just leave you." Percy protested.

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

"They're right! We can handle ourselves, go!" Gohan added.

Percy took the Yankees cap and put it on, vanishing. Gohan couldn't tell where Percy was. But, Ms. Dodds paused for a brief moment, causing the three of them to hold their breath. Apparently she didn't see anything, as she and her sisters kept going.

"Well, good thinking Annabeth." Gohan said. She turned red.

"Thanks." She answered.

"Now, how do we get out of this?" Annabeth gulped.

"I may have not have thought this completely though." They were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. The ladies were almost on top of them now.

"Well, looks like we might get your wish after all, Gohan." Annabeth whispered as she slowly pulled her knife out. Then, the ladies reached their row. For one brief, silent second, it seemed like the old ladies would pass them. Then, they whirled to look at them, and a hideous wailing erupted from them, and they changed. Gohan was shocked by what he saw.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same, but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded them, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.

"He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!" Gohan snarled as he leaped up.

"Leave my friends alone!" Gohan roared before slamming his fist across one of the Furies face. She let out a loud screech as she flew back, right through the opposite window with a loud metallic cruch. Annabeth and Grover gaped, and Ms. Dodds and the other fury were momentarily taken aback. However, they quickly recomposed themselves, and the other Furies raised their whips.

Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. Gohan hissed as he clenched his fist, which started to glow blue. Then, the bus suddenly skidded to the right, causing everybody to howl as they were thrown to the right, and Gohan heard what he hoped was the sound of two Furies smashing against the windows. Gohan leaped forward and punched the first one in the stomach, causing her to crumple. The second one leaped at him, and he slammed his feet into the fury's chest, sending it flying up into the bus window with a loud crunch. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.

The bus careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

Somehow the driver found an exit. They shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to their left, the Hudson River to their right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river. Gohan grunted as he tried to climb to his feet. But then, the bus suddenly slowed down, sending him tumbling forward.

The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him.

The Furies regained their balance, but Gohan was faster. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans. But, Gohan appeared in front of them and held his arm out. The whips lashed out and wrapped around his arm. He winched, feeling a hot pain shoot up his arm.

"Gohan!" Annabeth cried. Then, Gohan trust his arm back, causing both Furies to lose their balance and fly at him. He slammed his fist into Ms. Dodd's face, sending her flying onto the opposite wall with a loud crash. He kneed the second one in the stomach with a loud crunch, followed by kicking her across the face, sending her flying across the bus and out the back with a loud crunch.

Ms. Dodds hissed as she slowly climbed to her feet.

"Hey!" Gohan turned to see Percy take off the invisible cap near the front of the bus.

The Fury turned, baring her yellow fangs at him. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

"Don't even think about it." She hissed with rage.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher," Percy told her.

She growled. Annabeth and Grover moved up behind her cautiously, looking for an opening.

Percy took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword.

The Fury hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And none of you will not suffer eternal torment." "Nice try," he told her.

"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. Then, Gohan shot forward and slammed into Ms. Dodds' back, sending her flying forward.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she screamed. "Hades will have your soul!" "Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled as he swung, hitting Ms. Dodds' across the chest, causing her to burst into dust with a loud scream.

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of Gohan's neck rose.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled. "Now!" Gohan didn't need any encouragement. Percy tore out of the bus, followed by Annabeth and Grover. Gohan followed them, but quickly paused.

"Oh crud!" Gohan yelped.

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped Percy's photograph before he could recap his sword.

"Wait for me!" Gohan yelped as he ran off the steps.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our—"

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, shooting fire out in all direction. Gohan yelled as the force sent him flying into the forest.

"Gohan!" Annabeth cried. They plunged into the woods. After a minute, they found Gohan lying on his face, smoke rising from the back of his orange T-shirt.

"Gohan! Don't be dead!" Percy cried. Grover let out a nervous bleat. Then, Gohan let out a loud groan as he sat up.

"Ouch." Annabeth slapped him upside the head.

"You… idiot! You moron! What in the gods possessed you to run back in?" Annabeth roared.

"Well…" Gohan turned, revealing that his hands were full with their bags. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover stared at him in absolute disbelief. Grover let out a happy bleat as he grabbed his bag.

"Almost forgot our stuff." Gohan grinned. Annabeth had a stunned look on her face.

"You…" Then, without any warning, Annabeth kissed on the side of his cheek and took her bag, causing Percy's eyes to widen.

"Not bad, muscle head." She admitted. The happy moment was cut off by the sound of several loud screeches.

"Sounds like Ms. Dodd's sisters are pissed." Percy commented.

"Run!" Annabeth said. "They're calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"

They plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead."

 **Enjoy that? Don't worry, we've got more action coming up next chapter! Review!**


	9. A Stone Hitch

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter in this exciting saga! Get ready to see some more fighting!**

Enjoying the story so far? Don't worry, the real action about to start! Enjoy!

"Well, things could be worse." Gohan tried to cheer everyone up. However, no one was really in the mood. They were walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses. Gohan was fascinated by it all, as he had no memory of seeing any of it before.

"Can it, Gohan." Annabeth snapped.

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror.

"Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

Percy looked like he was in shock. Gohan was still a little off himself. The explosion of bus windows still rang in his ears. Plus, his arm and back still bothered him a bit.

But Annabeth kept pulling us along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get, the better."

"At least I saved all our stuff." Gohan said, which was probably the only bright thing they had so far. Annabeth glared at Percy.

"What were you thinking, jumping into the fight—"

What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"

"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine." She countered.

"I thought I was pretty good." Gohan spoke up.

"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "but fine." "Shut up, goat boy," said Annabeth. Grover didn't say anything else, deciding to munch on a tin can instead.

They sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled awful.

After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to Percy.

"Look, I..." Her voice faltered. "I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave. You too, Gohan. You were pretty good in your first fight."

"Thanks!" Annabeth frowned.

"But how did you do all that? You punched that Fury right through the bus!" Gohan looked a little sheepish.

"Well, I honestly don't know how. I just got mad and my body just moved on its own." Annabeth looked curious at that,

"We're a team, right?" Percy added.

She was silent for a few more steps. "It's just that if you died ... aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world."

The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind us, leaving us in almost total darkness. Gohan couldn't see anything of Annabeth except a glint of her blond hair.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" Percy asked her.

"No ... only short field trips. My dad—" "The history professor."

"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." She was rushing her words out now, as if she were afraid somebody might try to stop her. "At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not." Gohan stared at Annabeth. He couldn't explain why, but he had a memory of being alone. He didn't like it.

If he didn't know better, he could've sworn he heard doubt in her voice.

"You're pretty good with that knife," Percy said.

"You think so?"

"Of course." Percy answered. Gohan couldn't really see, but he thought she might've smiled.

"You know," she said, "maybe I should tell you ... Something funny back on the bus ..."

Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff. Gohan howled as he cupped his ears.

"I can't stand it! Cut it out!" he snapped. Instead of finding a path, Gohan immediately slammed into a tree, and groaned out loud as he fell back. A loud yelp and groan told him the same thing had happened to Percy.

"Stop a minute. I want to make sure Gohan's aright. He got thrown pretty hard," Annabeth ordered. Everyone was relieved to rest for a minute. Once they got a fire roaring, Annabeth put her attention to Gohan.

"Take your shirt off so I can see your arm and back. That whip hit you pretty good." Gohan sighed as he pulled his orange T-shirt off. Percy looked shocked, as well as Annabeth and Grover. Gohan's body looked weathered. There were scars across his chest and back, like Gohan had been in a lot of fighting. He was also pretty muscular, like he worked out a lot. Annabeth kept herself pretty composed. Then again, she had already seen Gohan shirtless before. It was still a lot to look at. Gohan winched as she looked over his arm.

"Your arm looks alright. You've got a burn right here, but…"

"What?" Gohan asked.

"It's practically healed. It's just a strip of red now, like a sunburn. Your back's alright too, looks like you just got thrown from the explosion. Still, you should eat some ambrosia." She pulled some from her bag and handed it to him. He munched on it, and let out a surprised yelp. It tasted amazing, like fresh steak. His arm felt much better. But he also had a funny feeling on his back, right on his butt. He scratched it, trying to alleviate the itch. Didn't work.

"You okay?" Percy asked as Gohan pulled his shirt on.

"I'm fine…" Gohan trailed off as he sat up like a statue, looking around crazy, sniffing the air.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked.

"I smell… FOOD!" Gohan roared as he leaped to his feet and sprinted into the forest.

"Gohan! Wait!" Percy cried as he, Annabeth, and Grover leaped up and ran after him, their bags bouncing on their backs.

After sprinting for another mile or so, Gohan started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. He could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. His mouth watered profusely. He was hungry, very hungry. He realized that hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since he'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where they lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. He needed food, a lot of good food. Then again, his memory was still awful, so he wasn't sure what kind of food he had eaten before. A loud panting made Gohan turn to see Annabeth, Percy, and Gohan emerge from the forest. Annabeth looked livid.

"Don't… ever… do that again!" she hissed.

"We stick together!" Percy added, causing Gohan to look awful.

"Sorry. I smelled food. That way." Gohan pointed down the road. Grover let out a happy bleat as he sniffed the air.

"Gohan's right! It smells delicious!" So, they decided to go. They kept walking until Gohan saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell. His mouth watered.

Though, it wasn't a fast-food restaurant. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate read Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

"What the heck does that say?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

"It says Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." Gohan translated, getting stares from Annabeth and Percy.

"You can read that?" Percy asked. Gohan nodded.

"Yeah, no trouble at all." Annabeth frowned.

"You don't have dyslexia, do you?" Gohan scratched his head at that.

"Food first!" Gohan scurried towards the enterance.

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken. Gohan didn't like them. They crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers.

"Hey ..." Grover warned. "The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar," she agreed.

"Snack bar! Food!" Gohan chimed in.

"Are you three crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."

They ignored him. The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover and Gohan the creeps. He felt like they were staring at him. Through, Gohan was more focused on food.

"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!" They stopped at the warehouse door. "Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy reminded him.

"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are ... looking at me."

"Just ignore them. I'm ignoring them." Gohan said.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall Middle Eastern woman. She wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all Gohan could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so he imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're ... um ..." Annabeth started to say.

"We're orphans," Gohan said.

"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"Yeah," Percy said. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?" Gohan groaned as he slapped his face.

"That was the dumbest story I've ever heard." He winched.

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area." They thanked her and went inside.

Annabeth muttered to Percy, "Circus caravan?" "Always have a strategy, right?" Percy whispered back.

"True, but how about one that doesn't sound ridiculous?" Gohan added.

"Gohan's right. Your head is full of kelp." Percy groaned.

"Oh, so now you two agree on something?"

The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Gohan was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. They really creeped him out. But mostly, he was thinking about food.

Gohan knew that he should have been on his guard. But, all he cared about was finding the dining area. And sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," Percy said.

"How much is it?" Annabeth asked.

Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." Only later did Gohan wonder how she knew Annabeth's name, even though they had never introduced themselves.

Their hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before they knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

Gohan ripped his meal apart, consuming his first helping before Percy had even finished half his burger. Aunty Em looked curious.

"And who might you be?" Gohan gulped his fistful of fries before he was able to answer.

"I'm Gohan!" she looked surprised as she looked at him.

"Fascinating. I've never seen anything like you." Gohan didn't hear that, as he glurped down a fourth shake.

Annabeth slurped her shake, giving Gohan a wary look.

Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.

"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.

Percy listened, but didn't hear anything. Annabeth shook her head. Gohan was buds eating.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears."

"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax."

Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched them eat. It was a little unsettling for Gohan, having someone stare at him when he couldn't see her face, but he was feeling satisfied after all that food.

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said, trying to sound interested.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?" Grover asked.

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

Gohan's neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. HE turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified. Gohan really didn't like it.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

Gohan wasn't sure what she meant, but he felt bad for her. His eyelids kept getting heavier, and his full stomach making me sleepy. Poor old lady. Who would want to hurt somebody so nice?

"Percy? Gohan?" Annabeth was shaking him to get his attention. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."

She sounded tense. Gohan wasn't sure why. Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn't say anything.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."

She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.

"We really should go." Gohan frowned as his back itched again.

"Bff I'm seel humgry!" he said with a mouthful of fries.

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily. Gohan grinned.

"I like photos!" Gohan beamed.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, guys—"

"Sure we can," Percy said. Truth be told, both boys were irritated with Annabeth for being so bossy, so rude to an old lady who'd just fed them for free.

"It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."

He could tell Annabeth didn't like it, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead them back out the front door, into the garden of statues.

Aunty Em directed them to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think. You two one each side." She directed Percy and Grover. She then placed a large stone behind Annabeth.

"And you stand behind her. What a cute couple." Annabeth turned incredibly red.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she snapped

"Not much light for a photo," Percy quickly interrupted..

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."

She still had no camera in her hands.

"Percy—" Annabeth said.

Some instinct warned Gohan to listen to Annabeth, but he was fighting the sleepy feeling, the continuous itch in his back, the comfortable lull that came from the food and the old lady's voice.

"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..."

"Guys, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed Grover and me both off the bench. She then threw herself back, sending her and Gohan falling back off the bench, causing Gohan to groan as he stared up. Then, a weight lifted off his chest, indicating that Annabeth had already sprinted off.

He groaned as he turned was on the ground, looking at Aunt Em's sandaled feet. Percy and Gohan were right next to each other. He could hear Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth in another. But they were both too dazed to move.

Then, Gohan heard a strange, rasping sound above me. His eyes rose to Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails.

"You seeing this too, right?" Gohan whispered.

"Oh yeah." Percy answered.

They almost looked higher, but somewhere off to their left Annabeth screamed, "No! Don't!"

More rasping—the sound of tiny snakes, right above me, from ... from about where Aunty Em's head would be.

"Run!" Grover bleated. Gohan heard him racing across the gravel.

Gohan couldn't move. He stared at Aunty Em's gnarled claws, and tried to fight the groggy trance the old woman had put him in. He groaned as he wiped his eyelids.

"Such a pity to destroy handsome young faces," she told me soothingly. "Stay with me, boys. All you have to do is look up."

He fought the urge to obey. Instead he looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres people put in gardens— a gazing ball. He could see Aunty Em's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents. To say Gohan was freaked was an understatement.

How could I have been so stupid? " Percy hissed.

"What do you mean?" Gohan whispered.

"She's Medusa!" Percy hissed.

"Who?" Percy gave Gohan a shocked look.

"She's a monster from the Greek stories. If you stare her in the eyes, you'll turn to stone." Gohan's brain clicked. Now it all made sense. It certainly explained all the statues.

"I don't suppose it also tells you how to beat her?" Gohan asked.

"Well, it involves my namesake. She was asleep in the story, though." Gohan rolled his eyes.

"Well, you're the one with the sword. Use it!" Percy glared at him.

"Oh, thanks for pointing out the obvious." He snorted.

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me." Medusa said, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited Gohan. to look up, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother.

"Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run!"

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust.

"Sounds like a real bitch!" Gohan yelled.

"Hey!" Annabeth's voice yelled angrily.

"Yes, exactly. You see too, the faults of the gods. But neither of you need suffer. I would love to see those jet black eyes, Gohan." She said in a soothing voice.

"Ummm… no thanks!" Gohan answered.

"Same here!" Percy added.

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain."

"Let's split up. You go left, I go right. I'll distract her, and you go for her with the sword." Percy nodded.

"Remember. Don't look at her, look through a mirror." Gohan nodded.

Thwack! Medusa roared with rage.

"You miserable satyr," she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

"Now!" Gohan leaped with his eyes closed.

"Maia!" he yelled, taking off into the air, while Percy scrambled away and hid in the statuary

Ker-whack!

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting. Gohan frowned as he flew through the air, trying to figure out how to distract Medusa. Then, his eyes fell on a statue, and he grinned.

Right next to Percy, Annabeth's voice said, "Percy!"

He jumped so high my feet nearly cleared a garden gnome. "Jeez! Don't do that!"

Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible. 'You have to cut her head off."

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here."

"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but..." Annabeth swallowed, as if she were about to make a difficult admission. "But you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You—you've got a chance."

"What? I can't—" "Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?"

She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster.

Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better." She studied the sphere critically. "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of—"

"Would you speak English?"

"I am!" She tossed him the glass ball. "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly."

"HEY!" Everyone's eyes fell on Gohan, who was floating with a large statue with his eyes closed. Grover bleated.

"Not Uncle Fernidad!"

Gohan grinned as he hurled the statue at Medusa, who howled as the statue smashed on the ground, sending her tumbling.

"Hey, guys!" Gohan yelled. "I think she's unconscious!"

"Roooaaarrr!"

"Never mind," Gohan corrected. He hurled the statue of the little girl at her.

"Hurry," Annabeth told Percy. "Gohan's aim probably isn't good, given that he cant see where he's throwing. Another loud crash was followed by a furious roar.

Percy took out his pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in his hand, following the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair.

I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball so I would only glimpse Medusa's reflection, not the real thing. Then, in the green tinted glass, I saw her.

Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he got a little too close. Medusa grabbed the stick and pulled him off course. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful "Ummphh!" Gohan gritted his teeth. He had to blind Medusa somehow. But how? Then, Gohan gasped as a memory shot through his head. A short bald man was floating in the air, facing a monstrous purple beast.

 _"SOLAR FLARE!" He roared, causing a bright light to erupt from him. The creature roared in pain as he covered his eyes._

Gohan gasped as he came back to reality. He swooped down towards Percy and Annabeth.

"Guys." Gohan whispered, causing them to look up at him.

"I think I have a way to distract her, but keep your eyes closed."

"What?" Annabeth hissed.

"I had a memory flash." Then, Gohan flew into the air, leaving them looking

Medusa was about to lunge at Grover when Gohan yelled, "Hey!" He fell down in front of her with his eyes closed, and positioned his arms over his head.

 _"This better work."_ Gohan thought with gritted teeth.

"SOLAR FLARE!" He roared, exactly as the way he remembered it. A massive light erupted from him, showring the entire warehouse in a blinding light. Medusa howled in agony. Grover screamed as he tumbled back.

"My eyes! I cant see!" he cried as he stumbled on the ground. Gohan slowly opened his eyes to see Medusa in all her glory. She looked awful. And he wasn;t just talking about her current state. She howled as she stumbled around, her eyes clenched shut. Her snaked were writhing in agony.

 _"I cant believe that worked."_ Gohan thought.

"Percy! She's all yours, but you better hurry! I'm not sure how long this lasts!" Percy leaped over the bench and advanced with his sword held up, while Medusa hissed in rage as she stumbled around, covering her eyes.

"You beast! You animal! I don't know what you are, but you're a monster!" she roared. Gohan whirled and kicked her across the face, sending her tumbling across the ground into the statue of the couple, which shattered. Medusa hissed as she shakily climbed to her feet, swaying slowly. But, she still let Percy approach—twenty feet, ten feet.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," she crooned. "I know you wouldn't. You're not like that... thing."

Percy hesitated, fascinated by the face he saw. Even with her eyes closed, she was still incredibly alluring. From the cement grizzly, Grover moaned, "Percy, don't listen to her!"

"Sorry." Percy finally answered.

Medusa cackled. "Too late. My eyes aren't my only weapons!" She lunged at Percy with her talons.

Percy slashed up with his sword, heard a sickening shlock!, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern—the sound of a monster disintegrating.

"Close your eyes!" Annabeth screamed. Though Conflicted quickly closed his eyes.

"Oh, yuck," Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. "Mega-yuck." He groaned as he stumbled around

Annabeth came up next to Gohan, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She said, "Don't move."

Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.

"Are you okay?" she asked Gohan, her voice trembling.

"Yeah," Gohan answered.

"Same." Percy answered, though he looked like he was going to throw up double cheeseburger.

"Why didn't ... why didn't the head evaporate?" Percy asked

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," she said. "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you." Gohan sighed

Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly statue. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. He stumbled around, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, Grover." Gohan apologized.

"Good job, man." Percy said

Grover managed a bashful grin. "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting- her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun." Annabeth quickly went to his side and grabbed Grover's arm, guiding him. Percy recapped bis sword. Together, the four of them stumbled back to the warehouse.

"I can't believe you broke Uncle Fernidad." Grover bleated.

"Sorry." Gohan replied.

They found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double- wrapped Medusa's head. We plopped it on the table where they's eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.

Finally Percy said, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"

Annabeth flashed me an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him." Gohan snorted.

"Athena sounds like a piece of work herself." Gohan commented. Annabeth gave him a look of loathing.

Percy's face was burning. "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa."

Annabeth straightened. In a bad imitation of my voice, she said: "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?" Gohan snorted, getting a glare from Percy.

"Forget it," Percy said. "You're impossible."

"You're insufferable." Gohan laughed at that.

"You're—"

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. And my eyes still hurt, thanks to him!" Grover pointed at Gohan.

"Speaking of that… how did you do that? What was that?" Annabeth asked. Gohan frowned.

"I… don't know." She snorted.

"Bull. How do you not know?" Gohan shrugged.

"I had a memory of someone doing it, and since she needs her eyes to kill people, I figured that would work." Gohan said. Annabeth looked confused.

"Muscle memory? You must have done it somewhere before. But I've never seen a move like that. Plus, what did Medusa call you? An inhuman monster?" Gohan scratched his head at that.

"Speaking of monsters, what are we going to do with the head?" Grover interrupted

They stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

Percy looked angry. Gohan couldn't blame him. They had just gotten started, and already gotten into two big fights. Their luck seemed awful. Not to mention the itching in his back was getting even worse. At this rate, they'd never make it to L.A. alive, much less before the summer solstice.

Percy got up. "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after me. "What are you—"

He searched the back of the warehouse until he found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. He folded up the bill and stuffed it in his pocket.

In the cash register he found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. He rummaged around the rest of the office until he found the right-size box. A few minutes later, he went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip: The Gods Mount Olympus 600th Floor, Empire State Building New York, NY

With best wishes,

PERCY JACKSON

"Wait, are you doing what I think you're doing?" Gohan grinned

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."

He poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as he closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"Cool." Gohan grinned

"I am impertinent," Percy said.

He looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize.

She didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that he had a major talent for ticking off the gods.

"I know that this totally might backfire, but it's pretty gutsy." Gohan grinned.

"Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan." As they exited the warehouse, Gohan let out a shocked howl.

"Gohan! What's wrong?" Percy asked in shock. Gohan cried in pain as he scratched at his back.

"My back! Arrgh!" Gohan groaned. Then, a loud ripping noise filled the air, and Gohan let out a loud sigh of relief as the pain vanished.

"Wow, I feel much better." Gohan grinned as he looked up. However, he was surprised by the looks her was getting. Annabeth and Percy had shocked expressions on their faces with their jaws gaping open, and Grover was letting out shocked squeaking noises. Gohan followed their gaze and gaped. Wiggling on his rear end… was a brown, furry tail.

 **Like that? More coming up next! Review!**


	10. A Furry Problem and Canine Aid

**Having fun? Here's the next chap in this exciting saga!**

Needless to say, they had all freaked out a bit. Gohan had let out a shocked scream and ran around in circles. Grover was shocked, making terrified bleats.

"I told you he wasn't a demigod!"

Percy was just numb with confusion. Annabeth was the only one who kept her composure, slapping Gohan first, then Percy.

"All of you, calm down!" she ordered.

"How can I calm down? I've got a tail!" Gohan yelled.

"I can see, you moron!" Annabeth snapped. She turned Gohan around and looked at the wiggling brown tail.

"Fascinating. I've never seen anything like this." She observed with a look of awe as she traced her fingers across the side of it, causing Gohan to giggle.

"That feels pretty good!" Gohan grinned.

"You think it was your mom, for that crack Gohan made before?" Percy asked. Annabeth gave him a scathing look.

"Oh please. Monkey tails are hardly Athena's style. If my mom was going to do something to Gohan, it'd be much more creative." Gohan glared at Athena.

"Hey!" Annabeth ignored him.

"I must admit, I've seen a lot of things, but someone growing a tail is new to me." She looked at Gohan's back with curiosity.

"Why don't we just cut if off?" Percy asked. He uncapped Riptide, which gleamed in the evening light. Gohan's eyes nearly shot out of his head.

"Oh no! Don't even think about it! Nobody is cutting anything off anyone!" he yelled in a higher octave.

"Put the sword away, Percy." Annabeth ordered as she inspected Gohan. Percy nodded as he recapped the pen

"It looks like it's part of you." Then, testing the tail out, Annabeth squeezed. Gohan howled as his body stiffened up and he collapsed, leaving the others stunned.

"Sorry." She apologized as Gohan slowly got up.

"You said that your back's been itching?" she asked. He nodded.

"Since you checked my arm." She nodded at that.

"The ambrosia. Seems like that tail might be a part of you after all." Gohan scratched his head.

"I can't explain it, but this tail does feel familiar." Gohan frowned as the tail wiggled. Grover bleated.

"I told you he wasn't a demigod! This explains how the Furies found us! Who do you work for, uncle smasher!" he demanded angrily.

"NO! I'm not the enemy, I'm trying to help you guys!" Gohan yelled at Grover.

"ENOUGH!" Percy roared, causing everyone to look at him.

"Look, Gohan's our friend! He just risked his life to help us! He's not our enemy, and I'm sure all this will make sense!" silence followed as Percy took several breaths.

"Come on, we've got a long way to go."

They were pretty miserable that night.

They camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

They had taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but they didn't dare light a fire to dry their damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. No one was in the mood to attract anything else. Gohan was still getting used to his tail, which wiggled behind him as he tried to sit comfortable. Grover was still giving Gohan wary looks.

They decided to sleep in shifts. Percy volunteered to take first watch.

Annabeth curled up on the blankets and was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground. Gohan was curled up on the ground, looking at the side of a tree as he tried to go to sleep.

Grover put his back to the trunk, and stared at the night sky.

"Go ahead and sleep," Percy told him. "I'll wake you if there's trouble." He nodded, but still didn't close his eyes. "It makes me sad, Percy."

"Will you stop ragging on Gohan? He's not a threat!" Grover bleated angrily.

"I'm not talking about that! This makes me sad." He pointed at all the garbage on the ground. "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

"Oh, yeah. I guess you'd be an environmentalist." Gohan spoke up.

He glared at Gohan. "Only a human wouldn't be, or whatever you are. Your species is clogging up the world so fast ... ah, never mind. It's useless to lecture a human. At the rate things are going, I'll never find Pan."

"Pam? Like the cooking spray?" Percy asked. Gohan snorted.

"Pan!" he cried indignantly. "P-A-N. The great god Pan! What do you think I want a searcher's license for?"

A strange breeze rustled through the clearing, temporarily overpowering the stink of trash and muck. It brought the smell of berries and wildflowers and clean rainwater, things that might've once been in these woods. Suddenly Percy was nostalgic for something he'd never known. As for Gohan, another memory flashed through his head, of a small house, a vast forest, tall mountains, and clear streams. Gohan couldn't explain why, but that memory made his chest ache, and he felt a sense of longing.

"Tell me about the search," Percy said. Grover looked at him cautiously, as if he were afraid he was just making fun.

"The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he explained.

"A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep."

"And you want to be a searcher."

"It's my life's dream," he said. "My father was a searcher. And my Uncle Ferdinand ... the statue you saw back there that Gohan smashed…"

"I said I was sorry!" Gohan snapped.

Grover shook his head. "Uncle Ferdinand knew the risks. So did my dad. But I'll succeed. I'll be the first searcher to return alive."

"Hang on— the first?" both boys asked at the same time.

Grover took his reed pipes out of his pocket. "No searcher has ever come back. Once they set out, they disappear. They're never seen alive again."

"Not once in two thousand years?"

"No."

"And your dad? You have no idea what happened to him?"

"None."

"But you still want to go," Percy said, amazed. "I mean, you really think you'll be the one to find Pan?"

"I have to believe that, Percy. Every searcher does. It's the only thing that keeps us from despair when we look at what humans have done to the world. I have to believe Pan can still be awakened." Gohan frowned.

"So, while you've spent the last two thousand years searching for this Pan, you've all just let the wild get destroyed?" Grover stared at Gohan with a look of shock.

"What?" Grover asked.

"Even if you find this Pan, what do you think he's going to do? Flick his hand and make everything right again? It seems like a bit of a stretch to me." Gohan frowned. Grover let out a furious bleat.

"What are you saying?" he demanded.

"What? Just seems like if you guys tried to save the Wild yourselves instead of looking for a savior, it wouldn't be as bad as you say it is." Gohan could have sworn the wind picked up for a brief second there. Percy quickly decided to jump in before those two started killing each other.

"How are we going to get into the Underworld?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, what chance do we have against a god?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But back at Medusa's, when you were searching her office? Annabeth was telling me—"

"Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out."

"Don't be so hard on her, Percy. She's had a tough life, but she's a good person. After all, she forgave me..." His voice faltered.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. "Forgave you for what?" Suddenly, Grover seemed very interested in playing notes on his pipes, much to Gohan's chargin.

"Wait a minute," Percy said. "Your first keeper job was five years ago. Annabeth has been at camp five years. She wasn't ... I mean, your first assignment that went wrong—"

"I can't talk about it," Grover said, and his quivering lower lip suggested he'd start crying if Percy pressed him. "But as I was saying, back at Medusa's, Annabeth and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Something isn't what it seems."

"Well, duh. I'm getting blamed for stealing a thunderbolt that Hades took."

"That's not what I mean," Grover said. "The Fur—The Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy ... why did she wait so long to try to kill you? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been."

"They seemed plenty aggressive to me." Gohan stated

Grover shook his head. "They were screeching at us: 'Where is it? Where?'"

"Asking about me," Percy said.

"Maybe ... but Annabeth and I, we both got the feeling they weren't asking about a person. They said 'Where is it?' They seemed to be asking about an object."

"That doesn't make sense." Percy countered.

"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt..." He looked at Percy like he was hoping for answers, but he didn't have any.

He thought about what Medusa had said: I was being used by the gods. What lay ahead was worse than petrification. "I haven't been straight with you," Percy told Grover. "I don't care about the master bolt. I agreed to go to the Underworld so I could bring back my mother." Gohan looked up at that.

"Ummm, say what?" he asked

Grover blew a soft note on his pipes. "I know that, Percy. But are you sure that's the only reason?"

"I'm not doing it to help my father. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him." Percy responded.

"Now wait a second! Shouldn't we save the world first, then go get your mom?" Gohan asked. Percy whirled on Gohan.

"You don't get it! I have to get my mom back!"

Grover gazed down from his tree branch. "Look, Percy, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You're glad your dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you'd done." Grover said

"Yeah? Well maybe satyr emotions work differently than human emotions. Because you're wrong. I don't care what he thinks." Gohan laughed.

"Okay, even I can tell you're lying."

"No I'm not!" Percy insisted.

Grover pulled his feet up onto the branch. "Okay, Percy. Whatever."

"Besides, I haven't done anything worth bragging about. We barely got out of New York and we're stuck here I don't even know if we have enough money to go out west!"

Grover looked at the night sky, like he was thinking about that problem. "How about I take first watch, huh? You get some sleep. You too!" He directed that one at Gohan, who rolled his eyes.

Percy wanted to protest, but he started to play Mozart, soft and sweet, and I turned away, my eyes stinging. After a few bars of Piano Concerto no. 12, he was asleep, and Gohan followed a second later. Unfortunately, it was not a peaceful sleep.

In Gohan's dreams, he was standing on a large stretch of rocky ground. The sky was flashing red lighting, and the ground shook.

"Hello?" Gohan called out. A loud laughing filed the air. Then, something slammed into his back, sending him flying. He tumbled on the ground, winching as he sat up.

"Not bad, boy." Gohan gasped as he sat up. Then, the ground cracked. He screamed as he leaped, leaving a massive hole in the ground.

Gohan had a feeling that something was trying to rise from the abyss, something huge and evil.

Cold laughter echoed from the chasm, washing over him like a bath.

"At long last..." a voice laughed. Gohan didn't answer.

"It was foretold you would come. I'm impressed. You're even better than I give credit, lost warrior."

An invisible force pulled him forward. It would drag him into the pit unless he stood firm.

"Help me rise, boy." The voice became hungrier.

"Bring me the bolt. Slay the son of Poseidon and daughter of Athena, and strike a blow against the treacherous gods. Follow me, and I will restore you to the warrior you once were. You will become the most powerful being in the universe!

"What do you mean?" Gohan demanded as he clenched his fists with rage.

Good, it murmured. Good. Your power is even greater than what was promised.

"Wake up, Gohan!"

Gohan yelped as his eyes opened. It was daylight.

"Well," Annabeth said, "the monkey lives." Gohan glared at her as he sat up.

"Not funny. How long was I asleep?" he groaned as he sat up.

"Long enough for me and Percy to cook breakfast." She handed him a plate of scrambled eggs.

"You packed eggs?" Gohan asked with surprise.

"Of course. And that's all you're getting, so don't pig out and whine for more." Gohan pouted.

"And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

Grover was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy in his lap, a dirty, unnaturally pink stuffed animal.

No. It wasn't a stuffed animal. It was a pink poodle. The poodle yapped at me suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he's not." Gohan blinked. "Are you ... talking to that dog?"

The poodle growled.

"This dog," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?"

Grover ignored the question. "Gohan, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Gohan."

I stared at Annabeth, figuring she'd crack up at this practical joke they were playing on him, but she looked deadly serious.

"I thought they were joking too."

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," Gohan said. "Forget it."

"Gohan," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

The poodle growled.

Gohan said hello to the poodle. The dog barked at Grover, who laughed.

"What?" Gohan demanded.

"He's jealous that your tail's longer than his." Gohan snarled at that.

"Not funny."

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward? Why do we even need it?" Gohan asked.

"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."

"And we spent a bit of what we have already on the bus tickets. We'll probably need more money before this quest is over, and mortals don't exactly take drachmas."

"Of course," Gohan said. "Silly me."

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

I thought about my dream—the whispering voices of the dead, the thing in the chasm, and my mother's face, shimmering as it dissolved into gold. All that might be waiting for me in the West.

"You guys wanna take another bus?" Gohan asked warily.

"No," Annabeth and Percy said at the same time. She pointed downhill, toward train tracks that hadn't been able to see last night in the dark.

"There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon." Gohan leaped to his feet.

"Perfect! Let's get going." Gohan leaped to his feet.

"Hold it! You can't go out like that." Annabeth barked.

"What?" Gohan asked.

"Ummm, she means your tail." Percy pointed at the wiggling tail behind Gohan, causing him to grumble.

"The Mist may hide a lot of things, but I'm not taking a chance with that." She stated. Gohan frowned as he looked at his tail. Then, out of nowhere, an idea flashed into his head.

"How about this?" Then, he curled his tail and wrapped it across his waist. Now, it looked like a custom belt.

"Not bad." Annabeth admitted.

Come on! Onto the next adventure!" He grinned. Annabeth gave him an annoyed look.

"Moron." she muttered as she walked past him with Percy and Grover.

"Hey! Wait up!" Gohan yelled as he ran after them.

 **Enjoy that? There's plenty of action next chapter! Enjoy!**


	11. Attack of the Fire Breathing Chihuahua

**Like the story so far? Trust me, things are about to start getting intense fast! Enjoy!**

For once, things went perfectly. They turned the poodle in, and got the money. Actually, they got 100 dollars more, because Gladiola's owner was a girl a little older than they were who thought that Gohan was cute. So, she convinced her parents to add a little more to the reward. They spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. Gohan spent the majority of the trip with his face pressed against the window, looking at everything.

They weren't attacked once, but no one really relaxed.

Percy tried to keep a low profile because his name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as he got off the Greyhound bus. He had a wild look in my eyes. His sword was a metallic blur in my hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick.

The picture's caption read:

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with three teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

"This is a problem?" Gohan was the one to say it.

"Don't worry," Annabeth answer. "Mortal police could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure.

The rest of the day Percy spent alternately pacing the length of the train. Meanwhile, Gohan kept his face plastered to the window, and saw a lot of interesting things.

Once, he spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second- grader on a pony, caught his eye and waved. He looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.

Another time, toward evening, he saw something huge moving through the woods. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone.

Between the reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle and what they had from camp, they had easily gotten enough money for tickets to LA. They were all in a good mood, though Annabeth was still a bit wary. They couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so they slept their in their seats. Gohan's neck got stiff, and his tail was no better. Now that he had gotten used to it, it felt stiff around his waist, as he couldn't let it loose in the train. Gohan tried not to drool in his sleep, since Annabeth was sleeping next to him. Percy sat across from him with Grover, and didn;t look very comfortable himself.

Grover kept snoring, bleating and waking them up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Gohan, Percy, and Annabeth had to stick it back on before any of the other passengers noticed.

"So," Annabeth asked Percy, once they'd gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?" Percy asked

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?" Gohan leaned in to listen.

Percy looked nervous, but he finally told them. Gohan was shocked by what he heard, about Percy's dream of being in an underground cavern and a voice calling to him. Not by what he heard, but by how similar it seemed to the nightmare that Gohan had had. He could still hear that voice bouncing his head, promising to make him the most powerful being in the universe.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs." She looked over at Gohan.

"Are you okay? You have a weird look on your face." Gohan snapped back to reality and blinked.

"I'm fine! Just lost in through." Annabeth had a look on her face that indicated that she didn't believe him.

"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?" Percy asked.

"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?" Percy frowned at that.

Grover snorted in his sleep, muttered something about vegetables, and turned his head.

Annabeth readjusted his cap so it covered his horns. "Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"This time?" Percy asked.

"You mean you've run into them before?" Gohan added.

Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

"What would you do if it was your dad?" Percy snapped. Gohan was suddenly wishing that he was not sitting next to Annabeth based on the look from her face.

"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot."

"You don't mean that." Gohan said with a look of shock

Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on him. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Gohan," she said. "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent." Gohan and Percy looked surprised at that.

"But how ... I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital..." Percy asked

"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist." She snapped angrily.

Gohan felt pretty awkward, and he was pretty sure that Hennabeth felt the same. He wanted to make Annabeth feel better, but he didn't know how. After all, he couldn't even remember his own family. He wondered if they even knew he was gone.

"My mom married a really awful guy," Percy told her. "Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking." Percy said

Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads. It occurred to me that the ring must be her father's. Gohan wondered why she wore it if she hated him so much.

"He doesn't care about me," she said. "His wife—my stepmom—treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened—you know, something with monsters— they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."

"How old were you?" Percy asked

"Same age as when I started camp. Seven." she answered

"But ... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself. Not that young." Gohan frowned.

"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway."

Gohan wanted to ask what happened, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories. So he listened to the sound of Grover snoring and gazed out the train windows as the dark fields of Ohio raced by.

"So, what will you do?" Gohan turned to look at Percy.

"Huh?" he asked.

"If you get your memory back. I mean, if we manage to survive this quest, and you get your memory back, what are you going to do?" Gohan stared at Percy. He hadn't actually thought about it. After all, he had literally jumped from one thing to another since he woke up.

"I guess I'll try to find my family and get back home." He answered. Percy nodded at that.

"Well, whatever happens, I'm sure it'll all work out."

Toward the end of their second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to Percy like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city.

"I want to do that," she sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"Build something like that. Have either of you ever see the Parthenon?"

"What's that?" Gohan asked. Annabeth glared at him.

"Only in pictures." Percy answered.

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."

Percy laughed. "You? An architect?" Gohan gulped.

"Dude!" Gohan hissed as he made a shut-up motion.

Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention." Gohan whistled as he watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below.

"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."

"Can't we work together a little?" Percy pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

Annabeth had to think about it. "I guess ... the chariot," she said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete." She pondered out loud.

"Then we can cooperate, too. Right? What do you think, Gohan?" Percy asked.

"Why are you bringing me into this?" Annabeth snorted.

"I can't believe I thought you were the son of Zeus. I mean, you're nothing like Thalia!" Annabeth cut herself off quickly.

"Wait, you knew Thalia?" Percy asked.

"Girl in the tree Thalia?" Gohan added. Annabeth pressed her lips together and refused to say another word. They rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.

"I suppose," she said at last.

We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver. Gohan sighed with relief as

Grover stretched. Before he was even fully awake, he said, "Food."

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing."

"Sightseeing?" Gohan repeated.

"The Gateway Arch," she said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"

The three of them exchanged looks.

"Is that a really good idea when we have to save the world on a deadline? We've got a good thing going, let's not blow it." Gohan was the one to say it. Annabeth glared at him.

"Gohan has a point. Can't we just go to it on our way back?" Percy asked. Annabeth crossed her arms angrily.

"I'm going, with or without you." She stated before whirling on them and walking away. Grover shrugged. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters." He followed her. Gohan and Percy looked at each other.

"We can't leave them alone." Gohan said. Percy nodded.

"Come on."

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. They threaded their way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. Gohan was a little interested by the artifacts, but he really didn't find it all that thrilling. But, Annabeth kept telling them interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing him and Percy jelly beans, so he was okay.

Gohan kept looking around, though, at the other people in line. He couldn't explain it, but he was getting that weird feeling again.

"I'm getting a feeling…" Gohan said nervously. Percy looked nervous.

"You smell anything?" Percy murmured to Grover.

He took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

But something felt wrong to Gohan, and he could tell that Percy felt the same thing. He had a feeling they shouldn't be here.

"Guys," Percy asked. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"

Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"

"Well, Hade—"

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?"

"Um, right," Percy said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" Percy asked.

She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true..."

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?" Gohan scratched his head.

"I'm not afraid of the dark." Gohan stated. Grover looked annoyed.

"Well, you're clearly not rational. Add that to the list of weird things about you." Grover answered. Gohan looked annoyed.

"But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked. Annabeth , Gohan, and Grover exchanged looks.

"We don't," Grover said. Gohan really felt uncomfortable now.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," Percy said. "Got any blue jelly beans left?"

Gohan had almost mastered his jumpy nerves when he saw the tiny little elevator car they were going to ride to the top of the Arch. They got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. Gohan usually didn't have a problem with animals, but he really didn't like that Chihuahua, which yapped loudly at him.

They started going up, inside the Arch.

"No parents?" the fat lady asked them.

She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings. What a cute couple you two make." She looked at Gohan and Annabeth, who turned incredibly red.

"He's not my boyfriend! We're not a couple!" she protested, causing Percy to chuckle.

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

Percy said, "Sonny. Is that his name?"

"No," the lady answered. She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded Gohan of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. Gohan was awestruck by the massive city below him.

Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily, the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.

Percy steered Grover and Annabeth toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and was about to get in myself when he realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for him or Gohan.

The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."

"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you guys."

But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so Percy said, "Naw, it's okay.

"Yeah, we'll see you guys at the bottom." Gohan added

Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were Percy Gohan, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

"This feels wrong." Gohan stated. Percy nodded.

"Let's just get on the elevator as soon as possible." Percy smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth. Gohan's eyes widened.

"You saw that too?" Percy nodded. Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at them.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!" His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at Percy, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist." Gohan gritted his teeth

"Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" Percy asked

"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. Gohan snarled.

"So much for a good streak." Gohan smirked

When she smiled, they saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's. The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster. The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

"That's… a big monster." Gohan stated as he clenched his fists, which started to glow blue.

"Ummmmm… your sword, Percy?" Gohan whispered.

Percy realized that he hadn't even uncapped his sword. His hands were numb. They were ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and he knew that as soon as he moved, the creature would lunge. The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"Isn't that a kind of anteater?" Percy asked.

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you and your little friend!"

The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. He managed to leap aside and dodge the bite. Gohan leaped back, twirling through the air.

Percy ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

Percy uncapped his sword, ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!" The Chimera turned faster than he would've thought possible.

Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit.

"HEY!" the chimera turned to see Gohan fire a massive blue blast from his hands, hitting the creature in the face, causing a massive explosion.

Percy dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off his eyebrows.

Where the creature had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges. Gohan grinned as he ran up to Percy, who looked shocked.

"Great, we just blowtorched a national monument." Percy said.

"Ummm… sorry." Gohan laughed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"How'd you do that?" Gohan frowned.

"I'm not too sure. At least that thing is dead." Then, a loud roar made them whirl to see the Chimera glaring at them with dripping jaws.

"Okay, that was fast." Gohan

Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in Percy's hands, and as the Chimera turned, Percy slashed at its neck. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar.

"That didn't work." Gohan stated.

Percy tried to regain his balance, but he was so worried about defending himself against the fiery lion's mouth, he completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around.

"Watch out!" Gohan grabbed Percy and leaped back, sending them both tumbling across the ground. The tail smashed into the ground, cracking the floor.

"Thanks." Percy said with a surprised look on his face.

"I'll distract him, you strike from the back." Percy nodded. Then, they both leaped to avoid the next strike from the tail, tumbling in opposite directions. Gohan roared as he hurled pieces of rubble at the Chimera, which roared in rage. It fired a massive blast of fire from its mouth, causing a massive explosion. While it was attacking Gohan, Percy advanced from behind with his sword held high, and tried to slash the creature on the back. However, the tail whipped around and smashing him across the chest, sending him tumbling across the ground. His blade flew out of his hand, spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi River.

Percy winched in pain. His entire chest was on fire, and he was weaponless. He remembered Chiron saying that Anaklusmos would always return to him, but there was no pen in his pocket. Maybe it had fallen too far away. Maybe it only returned when it was in pen form.

"PERCY!" Gohan roared. Then, the ground started to shake, and a massive blue flame surrounded Gohan.

"Whoa." Percy said with wide eyes. Then, Gohan roared as he fired blue blast after blue blast from his hand, smashing into the creature's maw. The beast howled with rage, smoke rising from his coat.

"Come on!" The creature roared as it chased Gohan.

Percy backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced on Gohan, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh?"

The monster growled. Gohan roared at he leaped at the Chimera and slammed his fist across the creature's face. It flew against the glass window, cracking it. However, it rose again and roared at Gohan, fire spraying out of its mouth.

Percy's head felt dizzy. There was no place else to go, so he stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered.

"Percy, get away from the edge!" Gohan yelled before leaping out of the way of the tail. He roared as he fired another blue blast, which simply burst on the creature's fur. He was working on pure instinct, not thinking before doing. Echnida looked fascinated.

"You are a fascinating creature. You look human, yet you possess a tail and attack with techniques I have never seen." She then turned towards Percy.

"If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

"Don't listen to her! Get away!" Gohan roared.

The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast. Gohan hissed as his fist glowed blue. They fired at the same time, both their attacks colliding. Then, they both exploded. The mortals screamed as they were covered in smoke. Percy stumbled, clenching on the side on the hole.

"You have no faith," Echidna told him. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

Percy hated to admit it, but she was right: He was dying. He could feel my breath slowing down. Nobody could save him, not even the gods. Gohan didn't look like he was in the state to help him, even with those strange blasts he was doing.

Percy backed up and looked down at the water.

"Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward my face.

"Father, help me," Percy prayed. Then, he turned and jumped. His clothes on fire, poison coursing through his veins, he plummeted toward the river.

"PERCY! NO!" Gohan cried in horror as his friend fell out of sight. Echidna let out a throaty laugh.

"Farewell, son of Posidon." Then, she turned to face Gohan. The Chimera turned to face him, flame sprouting out of his mouth.

"One hero down, one to go." She smiled. Gohan's eyes blazed with rage as his fists clenched, so hard that blood dripped off his hands. The Chimera roared as it fired, enveloping Gohan in fire. She howled with laughter.

"Zeus will reward me greatly for this." Then, the smoke faded, revealing Gohan, standing perfectly fine. Not even his clothes didn't look burned.

"What?" she squawked.

"You killed Percy! You killed my friend!" Gohan hissed with rage. Outside, the sky grew dark and ominous thunder boomed.

"You… monster!" Gohan's head pitched back as his hair glowed. Enchidna's smile slowly faded from her face.

"What is this?" she gasped. The entire building seemed to rumble as Gohan let out another furious roar, his hair flashing from gold to black rapidly. The Chimera snarled, looking at Gohan warningly as blue lightning flashed outside.

Then, Gohan let out a colossal roar as his head pitched back, and a massive yellow light erupted from him, momentarily blinding all present. When the light faded, Echidna let out a furious roar. Gohan stood in front of her, surrounded by golden flame. His hair was standing up and bright gold, and his eyes were a brilliant green. The entire building seemed to shake as Gohan turned to face the Chimera.

You're going to pay." Gohan stated angrily.

 **Enjoy that? The smackdown starts next chapter! And, for reference, this is NOT Super Saiyan 2. This is the first Super Saiyan form.**


	12. Super Saiyan Pest Control

**Hey! Here's the battle you've all been waiting for! Ready? Enjoy!**

Gohan glared at Echidna and the Chimera as he glowed, all thoughts wiped from his mind except for one thing: Fight. Kill.

"Mommy! That boy's glowing!" the little boy peeped out with wide eyes.

"You're done. It stops here. Now." Gohan stated.

Echidna clenched her purse and backed up with wide eyes.

"Incredible." Then, she smiled, before howling with hissing laughter.

"I don't know what you are. Even if you are the son of Zeus, you will be destroyed!" she looked at the Chimera.

"Slaughter him! Let him join the son of Posidon in the Underworld!" the Chimera roared and fired a massive fire blast at Gohan. Gohan stared calmly, before thrusting his arm in front of himself and roaring. He smashed the fireball aside, sending it flying out the window where it exploded in the air harmlessly.

"What?" Then, Gohan vanished. A second later, the Chimera howled as Gohan slammed his feet into the monster's side, sending it flying into the window, which cracked. Gohan lowered his foot as the monster staggered to its feet. Then, Gohan vanished, and reappeared next to the terrified mortals, who backed away in terror.

"D-don't hurt us!" the ranger stammered. Gohan was silent. Then, he whirled and smashed the emergency doors open. He silently pointed.

"Cool!" the little boy said with wide eyes. The mortals quickly rushed out. Then, Gohan turned to look at the Chimera.

"Come on." Gohan sneered and made a gesture. The creature roared and swung its tail out. It flew right through Gohan, causing Echidna to hiss with delight. However, Gohan then shimmered, and then dissolved. She frowned in confusion, and then whirled to see Gohan standing behind her.

"An illusion!" she hissed with rage. Gohan roared and slammed his fist across her face, sending her flying into the adjourning wall, which cracked with the impact. She slid to the ground, shaking with rage as her tongue darted across her mouth.

"Slay him, my son! SLAUGHTER HIM!" The Chimera roared as it leaped at Gohan and tried to slash him with his claws. Gohan easily dodged it, leaping over the creature's head. He kicked it in the neck and landed behind it. The Chimera roared with rage as it again lashed out with its tail. Gohan sidestepped it easily. The Chimera roared as it swung out with the tail over and over. Gohan easily dodged it all.

"Seriously? Now I'm bored. This isn't fun anymore." Gohan snapped. Then, he lashed out and grabbed the tail. Echidna hissed as the Chimera roared and tried to pull its tail back. But, Gohan didn't budge.

"Now the poison will finish you!" Gohan smirked.

"Nope. He grabbed the tail with his other hand and let out a roar. He started spinning in a circle, taking the Chimera with him, which let out a roar of rage as it spun. Then, Gohan swung upward, and hurled the Chimera straight up through the ceiling, sending it flying high into the sky. Gohan then held his hands up. He let out a massive roar, causing the ground to shake as a massive gold flame surrounded him. The entire building seemed to rumble as Gohan glowed. Then, he fired a massive blue blast from his hand, flying high into the sky. The entire sky seemed to light up in a massive explosion. After several second, the Chimera's collar fell from the sky and clattered at Gohan's feet. Gohan turned and looked at Echidna, who stepped back with wide eyes. Her forked tongue darted all over her face.

"You're talented, boy. Excellent work." Gohan was silent.

"You defeated my child, and appear none the worse for wear! Very impressive. You have won. Congratulations, hero." Gohan was silent.

"I will take my leave. Even if the son of Poseidon survived, I am no threat without my child." Gohan was silent. Echidna hissed with delight as she slowly began walking around Gohan. Then, his foot lashed out, sending her slamming against the elevator doors. She let out a shocked hiss as she looked up to see Gohan with his hand out in front of her.

"No." Then, a massive blast erupted from his hand, incinerating Echidna. When the smoke faded, all that was left was a smoking purse. The air was silent except for the sound of the aura pulsing around Gohan. He smiled. Then, his ears picked up at the sound of a gun clicking.

"Freeze!" Gohan turned to see about six armed police officers pointing their guns at him. He had an annoyed look on his face.

"Get out of my way. Now." Gohan stated. The officers kept their guns trained on him.

"Peh." Then, Gohan vanished, reappearing in front of the officers. He swung out, smashing the first officer across the face, sending him flying into the elevator doors . He slumped unconscious. The other officers opened fire. Gohan's hand was like lightning, catching every bullet. When they finally stopped firing, Gohan smirked. Then, he opened his hand, letting the bullets fall on the ground. Gohan roared as he crossed his arms, letting the yellow aura surround him. Then, he roared as he thrust his hands out, sending out a shock wave that slammed the other officers into the wall, causing them to fall unconscious.

"Pathetic." Gohan paused to pick up the collar and stuff it into his pocket, before Gohan shot out the window, clipping a police helicopter. Then, Gohan vanished in a yellow flash, reappearing above the river. He looked around, until he felt a familiar energy.

"About time." Gohan smirked before plunging into the water. A second later, Gohan shot out of the water with a very surprised Percy, landing next to a floating McDonalds. To his surprise, Percy wasn't the slightest bit wet, and had somehow found Riptide. He let out a surprised yelp as Gohan dropped him. He groaned as he rubbed his head.

"You know, you didn't have to…" he trailed off when he saw Gohan. His jaw dropped.

"What the hell happened to you? You're blonde! And glowing." Gohan simply looked down at Percy.

"You're not wet. And not dead." Gohan stated. Percy quickly got to his feet.

"What happened to the Chimera? Are those people safe?" Gohan nodded as he pulled the collar out of his pocket. Percy's eyes widened with disbelief.

"You killed it?" Gohan nodded.

"Without a sword?" he nodded again.

"How?" Gohan simply looked at him. Percy looked around. A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. Police helicopters circled overhead, although one was rapidly descending with smoke trailing from its rear. The crowd of onlookers reminded him of Times Square on New Year's Eve.

A little girl said, "Mama! Those boy flew out of the river!"

"That's nice, dear," her mother said, craning her neck to watch the ambulances.

"But he's dry! And the other one's glowing!"

"That's nice, dear."

A news lady was talking for the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch."

"... a pair of adolescent boys," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show a pair of adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. One of the boys also assaulted several officers, several of which are in critical condition. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities ..."

Percy backed away, trying to keep his head down. He whirled to glare at Gohan, who simply looked at him.

"You attacked cops?" Percy hissed.

"They were in my way." Gohan answered. The sky rumbled above him. Percy let out a groan as he looked at the reporters.

"That's gonna be a problem." Gohan smirked.

"Not anymore." Then, Gohan held up his hand.

"Wait, what are you…" Percy began to ask. Then, the Channel 5 camera exploded. Actually, all of the camera exploded. Cameramen and reporter let out shocked screams as the ground was littered with dozens of camera pieces.

"Whoa." Gohan smirked.

They had to go a long way around the police perimeter. Uniformed officers and news reporters were everywhere. Thankfully, many of them were distracted over their destroyed cameras. Many of the reporters were screaming at the cameramen.

I'd almost lost hope of ever finding Annabeth and Grover when a familiar voice bleated,

"Perrr-cy!"

He turned and got tackled by Grover's bear hug—or goat hug. He said, "We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way!"

Annabeth stood behind him, trying to look angry, but even she seemed relieved to see Percy. Then, they looked at Gohan, and both their jaws dropped.

"What in the gods happened to him?" Percy shook his head.

"Your hair, your eyes! Your body! It all changed!" she gaped in disbelief.

"I'm not sure." They stared at him in disbelief.

"We can't leave you alone for five minutes! What happened?"

"I sort of fell." Percy admitted.

"Percy! Six hundred and thirty feet?" She then whirled on Gohan.

"And you didn't help him, flying boy?" she demanded. Gohan simply looked at her.

"I was busy." Gohan answered flatly.

Behind them, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. Percy recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck. She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua— and that boy! He was on fire!"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! This boy was on fire and ripped doors open with his bare hands!" Then she saw Gohan. "There he is! That's the boy!"

They quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

Percy told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, his high-dive act, and a message from an underwater lady.

"What happened to the Chimera?" Annabeth demanded. Gohan pulled out the collar and silently handed it to her. Her jaw dropped.

"You defeated it? Unarmed?" she demanded.

"Whoa," said Grover. "We've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad." He stated to Percy. They ducked as a female reporter screamed at her cameraman in a raged fit, who was trying to repair the smoking camera.

"What happened to their cameras?" Grover asked.

"Gohan destroyed them. With a flick of the wrist." Annabeth and Grover stared at Gohan, who simply looked back at them. Before Annabeth could respond, they passed another reporter doing a news break. Despite the fact that his camera was broken like the rest, he was speaking into a microphone.

"Percy Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boy is believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson."

They ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.

"First things first," Percy told Grover. "We've got to get out of town!" Annabeth whirled to glare at Gohan.

"Time to talk. You beat the Chimera. How did you get like this? And your whole attitude" Gohan looked at Annabeth Then, a bright gold aura surrounded him, causing all of them to take a step back.

"Simple. I…" then, in an instant, the aura surrounding Gohan vanished, and his entire body changed. His hair turned black and shrank down, his muscles all softened, and his eyes turned to black. He stared at them for one brief instant before collapsing, unconscious. All three of them stared at Gohan. Annabeth swore angrily in Ancient Greek.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here!" Percy and Annabeth grunted as they picked up Gohan and slung his arms over their shoulders.

Somehow, they made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. They got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver, plopping a snoring Gohan into a seat. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind them. Percy was silent, while Annabeth glared at Gohan, who snored softly.

"He kinda looked like you, Annabeth." Percy commented. She glared at him.

"He's not a son of Athena. Now I'm starting to think he's not a son of Zeus." Grover bleated.

"Told ya." Percy frowned.

"I'm not sure what to think anymore." Annabeth answered.

 **Enjoy that? More action next chapter, get ready!**


	13. A Quest from a God of War

**Get ready! We've got some more fun, coming up next!**

Gohan frowned as he looked around. Once again, he was standing on the green world. This time, the sky was crackling with red lightning, and the ground was cracked, lava shooting out of the ground in massive plumes. An evil crackle of laughter made him look around in confusion.

"Congratulations, little hero! Very impressive." The voice from before laughed.

"Who are you?" Gohan called out. The voice simply laughed.

"Unimportant at the moment. You are very talented, just as promised. You might be even more powerful than promised…" Gohan snarled.

"Who promised you what?" The voice chuckled.

"Join me, young hero. Join me, slay the foolish demigods, and together we will overthrow the treacherous gods!" the ground shook even harder, and began to crumble, pieces falling into a bottomless abyss.

"Sorry, I can't help you!" Gohan answered. He was met with a wave of anger.

"Insolent brat! You think you're untouchable? You'll learn your lesson soon enough!" Then, Gohan shot up like a rock, gasping and looking around.

"Bout time you woke up." He blinked at Annabeth, who was glaring at him with her arms crossed. Percy looked relieved.

"Owwww… what happened?" Gohan winched as he rubbed the back of his head. Annabeth snorted.

"Don't even try it, airhead. What happened back there?" Gohan frowned at her in confusion.

"Huh?" Gohan asked.

"You had blonde hair! And you were glowing! You said you beat the Chimera!" Gohan winched as he rubbed his head again. Gohan scratched his chin, frowning. He had faint images of it, but it seemed like a big blur.

"It's kind of a big blur. I remember some parts. I got really mad when Percy fell off the building. Then, I just lost it." Annabeth stared at him flatly.

"You… got mad?" Grover bleated nervously.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Gohan nodded.

"I don't remember how I did it exactly, though. I just felt a big rush and… it kinda blurred from there." Annabeth let out a steady of curses in Ancient Greek that Gohan really didn't understand.

"What did she just say?" Gohan asked. Percy looked like he was trying not to cringe.

"You don't want to know." Gohan shuddered at the mad Annabeth.

"So… how long was I out?" he asked.

"Five hours. We'll get into Denver tomorrow, and then a straight shot to LA." Gohan looked relieved at that.

"Sooner we finish this, the better." He leaned back as his waist wiggled. Annabeth looked really annoyed.

"It seems like every five minutes, we find out something else strange about you. It's not exactly a comforting thing." She glared at him. Gohan whistled nervously.

"Is your memory back yet?" Gohan scratched his head. He didn't feel as bad as before. There were a lot of things that kind of made sense.

"Ummm… bits and pieces. I think I remember… training." Now Annabeth looked interested.

"Training? In what?" Gohan frowned as he closed his eyes. Then, it came to him

"Martial arts." Now Annabeth looked intrigued.

"That explains a lot. You certainly have the skills for it." She glanced at Gohan's muscles before glaring at him.

"What art do you practice?" Before Gohan could answer, Percy interrupted.

"By the way, you were muttering in your sleep again. Something you want to share?" Gohan gulped nervously. But, he confessed and told them about the dreams he had been getting. Needless to say, Annabeth was a little livid.

"So, you've been getting the same dreams as Percy, which has a voice that wants you to kill us in exchange for becoming the most powerful being in the universe. Anything else?" Annabeth snapped, clearly annoyed and furious.

"I would never even consider it! You guys are my friends, I would never hurt you." Grover bleated angrily.

"Like the Chimera? You certainly acted differently when you were all glowy!" Gohan whirled to glare at him.

"Look, Grover! I promise you, I would never hurt you guys. We're a team, aren't we?" Annabeth glared at him, but sighed reluctantly.

"No more secrets, got it? That goes for everyone!" they nodded.

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, their train rolled into Denver. They hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. Gohan was a constant reminder of that, thanks to his constantly rumbling stomach. They hadn't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, and Percy was sure that was obvious.

"Let's try to contact Chiron when we get off." Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"We can't use phones, right?" Percy asked

"I'm not talking about phones." Annabeth answered. Gohan whined.

"I'm hungry." Annabeth whirled to glare at him.

"Shut it, bottomless pit! We'll eat before we get back on the train." Gohan scowled as he opened his mouth to protest. Then, his eyes went as big as saucers.

"Eeep!" he poked Percy and pointed out the window.

"What are you…" Percy followed Gohan's finger and went white.

"Shit!" Percy swore. There were several cop cars parked near the tracks, and they could already see several pairs of police officers making their way through the crowd towards the train. Annabeth let out several ancient Greek curses.

"Everyone stay calm!" Grover was already biting a tin can in a fit of fear. The cops were getting closer.

"Annabeth, give Gohan your hat." She instantly understood, handing her hat to Percy, who instantly slid it onto his head, causing him to vanish.

"Let's bolt." They quickly got out of their seats and dragged Grover with them as they quickly made their way towards the end of the train. As they reached the end, the knob started to turn, and voices could he heard outside. Annabeth's eyes widened, and without any warning, she shoved Grover into the bathroom and slammed the door, quickly shoving Gohan against it.

"Wha?" Gohan sputtered. Annabeth looked conflicted.

"Don't take what I'm about to do the wrong way." Then, she pressed her lips to Gohan's, who was so shocked he couldn't even move. He heard a surprised yelp, but turned it out as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Then, he faint heard the sound of the door opening, followed by a loud clearing of the throat. They both whirled to see a pair of cops looking at them, a young woman with black hair and a buff muscular man. Annabeth suddenly let out a very un-Annabeth like giggle.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I just wanted to sneak a moment with my boyfriend! My dad's such an overprotective prick!" she gushed as she giggled. The female cop looked amused.

"Look, we need to ask you." The other cop began to say, but the woman quickly interrupted.

"Cut it out, Zack. I used to do the same thing when I was her age. Look, have you seen this boy?" she held out a picture of Percy. Annabeth made a show of looking hard at the photo, and then shook her head.

"Nope! Sorry, I've never seen him in my life. What about you, Zack?" It took Gohan a second to realize she was talking to him.

"Duhhh… nope!" the other cop didn't look like he believed him, but the woman laughed.

"My boyfriends always had the same stupid look on their faces. You two make such a cute couple!" she grinned before looking at her partner.

"Come on, Rick, these aren't the kids we're looking for." She led her partner down the train. Once they were gone, Annabeth shoved Gohan to the side and pulled out a surprised Grover.

"Come on! Percy should be out by now!" Gohan let out a surprised squawk as she tugged him. Somehow, they were able to avoid anymore police. Once they were out of sight of the train station, Annabeth paused.

"You can give me back my hat now, Percy." The air shimmered, and Percy reappeared. Thankfully, no one had taken notice. He handed it back to Annabeth with a shocked expression.

"I can believe you did that! Nice acting." Gohan was still numb. He felt funny. His face felt hot, and his arms were tingling. He couldn't describe it, but he had never felt anything like it before. Then, a pair of fingers snapped in front of his face. He blinked to see Annabeth glaring at him.

"Hey! Airhead! Come on, we've got to run." Gohan looked at her curiously.

"Your lips tasted funny." Grover whirled to stare at Annabeth, while Percy looked awkward. Annabeth was so red that it looked like all the blood had rushed to her face.

"You kissed him?" Grover asked with disbelief Annabeth did not look very comfortable at all.

"Just an act. I had to distract the cops somehow. Can we get going, please?" she demanded angrily. After a minute, the guys nodded.

"I don't think the train's an option anymore." Percy commented. Annabeth growled.

"I know! We'll find another way, but we gotta do this first! Come on!

They wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though neither one of the guys was sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at them, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city. Finally, they found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. They were four adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure they were up to no good. And Percy had a funny feeling that Annabeth wouldn't be able to fool them with making out with Gohan again.

"What exactly are we doing?" Percy asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents," he grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

"Don't look at me," she said. "The dining car wiped me out." Grover looked at Gohan.

"Sorry, I'm dry." Annabeth snorted.

"Not the only thing that was dry." Grover whistled nervously.

"Huh?" Gohan frowned as his tail scratched the back of his head. Thankfully, Percy interfered. Percy fished out his last bit of change and passed Grover a quarter, which left him two nickels and one drachma from Medusa's place.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

"What are you talking about? " He fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing." "Instant messaging?"

"What's that?" Gohan asked, getting shocked looks from everyone present.

" Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods." Gohan looked intrigued

"You summon the goddess with a spray gun?"

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow." Gohan looked curious.

"I think I saw some guys down the street with a flag that had a rainbow on it! Will that work?" Annabeth looked mortified.

"What? No, that wont work, you idiot! That's not even… I mean how do you even…" as she spoke, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth held her palm out to me. "Drachma, please." I handed it over. She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering." She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer. "Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then they were looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. They seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" Percy called.

He turned, eyes wide. Gohan could swear he was standing three feet in front of me through a screen of mist, except he could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth and Gohan too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're ... uh ... fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. "We thought—Chiron—I mean—" Gohan snorted.

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?"

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement. Gohan frowned. He didn't like the sound.

"Chiron had to—what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it.'" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "Grover, come on!

"What?" Grover said. "But—"

"Give Gohan the nozzle and come on!" she ordered.

Grover muttered something about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle at Delphi, then he handed Gohan the spray gun and followed Annabeth.

Gohan readjusted the hose so he and Percy could keep the rainbow going and still see Luke.

"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke shouted to me over the music. "Things are pretty tense here, guys. Word leaked out about the Zeus—Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how—probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

Percy shuddered to think that Clarisse's cabin would ever be on his dad's side for anything. In the next stall, they heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you guys. Your memory come back yet, Gohan?"

"Bits and pieces. I remember that I used to do martial arts." Luke brightened.

"That seems pretty helpful." Percy couldn't hold it back.

"Annabeth kissed Gohan!" Luke's eyebrows shot up.

"She did what?" Percy grinned.

"Yeah!" Luke looked surprised.

"Okay, slow down a minute. Tell me everything." Percy told him pretty much everything, including his dreams. Well, Gohan and Percy took turns, although Gohan did hold back the details about his duel with the Chimera and his transformation. Gohan had to admit, it felt pretty good to see Luke. They didn't realize how long they had talked until the beeper went off on the spray machine, and they realized that they only had one more minute before the water shut off.

"I wish I could be there," Luke told them. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen ... it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly." Percy countered.

"That's true," Luke said, looking troubled. "Still ... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible." Gohan shrugged.

"Maybe he had an invisibility cloak." Luke snorted.

"He's not Harry Potter, dude!" Gohan frowned.

"Who?" Luke groaned.

"Never mind."

They were all silent, until Luke seemed to realize what he'd said.

"Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never ... I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

Gohan wondered if Annabeth would like that description. In the stall next to them, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash. Gohan had to admit, he was curious what Annabeth had done.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Oh ... uh, yeah!" Percy tried not to sound like a guilty liar. "Yeah, they've come in handy." Gohan frowned as he looked at Percy.

"Really?" He grinned. "They fit and everything?" The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke called, his voice getting fainter. "And tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just—"

But the mist was gone, and Luke's image faded to nothing. They was alone in a wet, empty car wash stall. Gohan groaned as his tail shook behind him.

"Great, now my tail's wet, and I don't know how to dry it." Gohan groaned.

Annabeth and Grover came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw Percy's face.

Annabeth's smile faded. "What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," he lied, his stomach feeling as empty as a Big Three cabin. "Come on, let's find some dinner." Gohan frowned, but decided not to open his mouth, as his stomach was rumbling.

A few minutes later, they were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas. Gohan let out a pathetic whine. Unfortunately, they had spent nearly all their money on the four tickets.

Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

Percy said, "We, um, want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

Grover's lower lip quivered. Percy was afraid he would start bleating, or worse, start eating the linoleum. But Gohan looked worse. Percy was afraid that Gohan might go gold again start eating everything. Annabeth looked ready to pass out from hunger.

Percy was trying to think up a sob story for the waitress when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb. Gohan's eyes widened as he looked around in confusion. He felt funny.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather—but leather that looked like ... well, Caucasian human skin.

The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh.

He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face Gohan had ever seen— handsome, but wicked—with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth and Gohan against the window. Given what had happened before, both turned very red. He chuckled before he looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"

He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.

The biker looked at Gohan, who suddenly snarled. He couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but bad feelings started boiling in his stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. Gohan wanted to hit a wall. He wanted to pick a fight with somebody. Who did this guy think he was? Gohan's fists clenched. Percy could have sworn that Gohan's hair started to glow.

He gave Percy a wicked grin. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

He should've been surprised, or scared, but instead Percy felt like he was looking at his stepdad, Gabe. Now, wanted to rip this guy's head off. "What's it to you?"

Annabeth's eyes flashed me a warning. "Percy, this is—" The biker raised his hand.

"S'okay," he said. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?" Then it struck him why this guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood, the ones from cabin five.

"You're Clarisse's dad," Percy said. "Ares, god of war." Gohan frowned as he looked at him. Now that he thought about it, he could kinda see the resemblance.

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. "That's right, punk. So, show a little respect." Then, Ares turned to look at Gohan.

"Well, well. So, you're the one who broke Clarisse's spear."

"She was asking for it." Gohan snorted

"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? So, you're the new sensation." Gohan looked surprised.

"Oh yeah, I've heard. Wine head's still pretty pissed about how you messed up his field." Gohan groaned.

"Why does he care so much? It took him two seconds to fix it!" Ares snorted.

"Is he one of yours, Lord Ares?" Grover asked. Gohan opened his mouth to protest, but Ares let out a laugh.

"Nope, he aint one of mine. And he's not one of Athena's, either. Count yourself lucky on that one. Annabeth had a look of horror on her face, although Percy wasn't sure if that was because Ares knew about that, or because she didn't even consider the possibility that Gohan could have been her half-brother.

"I don't know what you are, kid, but you certainly ain't a demigod. No demogod could take out the Chimera the way you did." Gohan shuddered, but thankfully, Annabeth butted in.

"Did my mom send you?" Annabeth demanded Ares shook his head.

"Nope. I'm no one's errand boy." Ares frowned as he looked Gohan over.

"What I'm here for—I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you."

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food—cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes. Gohan's mouth watered.

"Fooooooood." He said with wide eyes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.

She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that," Percy told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor." Gohan was already half-way through his second cheeseburger.

"What favor could I do for a god?" Percy asked.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Percy snapped.

The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you." Gohan chugged down a glass of Coke in one gulp. Percy looked furious.

"Okay!" Gohan answered.

"No! We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."

Ares's fiery eyes made Percy see things that he didn't want to see—blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield.

"I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful ..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?" Percy asked

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Thanks," Percy grumbled.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends. After all, seems like your old ride went splat." Percy snorted

"We're doing fine on our own." Gohan frowned at him.

"No we're not.

"Yes, we are."

"Yes, we are! Shut up, Gohan!" Percy snapped. Gohan shrugged.

"Just because Clarisse was a jerk doesn't mean her dad is."

Ares chuckled.

"I'd listen to your friend, Jackson. Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

"My mom?"

He grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"What interrupted your date?" Percy asked. "Something scare you off?" Gohan whistled nervously.

Ares bared his teeth, but he'd seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

After that Gohan must have fainted, or fallen into a trance, because when he opened my eyes again, Ares was gone. He might've thought the conversation had been a dream, but Annabeth, Percy, and Grover's expressions told him otherwise.

"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good." Percy snarled as he looked out the window. He looked pretty pissed off.

"It's probably some kind of trick," I said. "Forget Ares. Let's just go." Gohan frowned.

"I may not be very good with all this stuff, but even I think that is a bad idea." Annabeth nodded

"Gohan's right, we can't," Annabeth said. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."

"Why does he need us?" Percy protested.

"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

"But this water park ... he acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that?" Gohan frowned.

"Maybe he wants to avoid your dad?" Percy gaped at Gohan.

"What? My dad's the god of the ocean, not god of the water parks!" Annabeth actually giggled, getting surprised looks from the other guys.

"But, seriously?" Percy asked.

Annabeth and Grover glanced nervously at each other.

Annabeth said, "I'm afraid we'll have to find out."

 **Enjoy that, especially that one particular moment? Well, get strapped in, because we've got one heck of a ride coming up next chapter! Enjoy!**


	14. A Water Ride of Terror!

**Hey! Ready for some more fun? Here's the next chap in this exciting saga. Enjoy!**

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like." Gohan laughed at that.

"Percy," Annabeth warned. "Be more respectful."

"Why? I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental." She countered.

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.

"Who is she? Echidna?" Gohan whistled nervously at that. He must have bad taste if that was the case.

"No, Aphrodite," Grover said, a little dreamily. "Goddess of love."

"I thought she was married to somebody," I said. "Hephaestus."

"What's your point?" he asked.

"Isn't it wrong to cheat on someone?" Grover and Annabeth snorted in amusement.

"It's not that simple, Gohan." She chuckled. Gohan cocked his head in confusion.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Oh." Percy suddenly felt the need to change the subject. "So how do we get in?"

Gohan seemed to ponder for a minute before pressing his feet together.

"Maia!" Wings sprouted from Gohan's shoes, allowing him to leap high into the air and flip gracefully over the fence, and landing on his feet in a fashion that would have earned him a high score in a gymnastics competition.

"You guys coming?" Gohan grinned as he dusted himself off.

"A little help?" Grover asked. Gohan frowned, but grabbed the bottom and pulled it up. However, he forgot his own strength(of course), and accidentally ripped the entire section of fence off with a loud screech of metal, leaving Annabeth, Percy and Grover with open mouths.

"Oops." Gohan gulped as he tossed the large piece of fence aside.

"Wow." Annabeth stated with a shocked expression.

"Uhhhh... let's keep moving." Percy interrupted again.

The shadows grew long as they walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?"

"I'm starting to see why this place closed down." Gohan remarked.

No monsters came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise.

They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of—

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes." "Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just—"

"Watch me."

She snatched an entire row of stuff of the racks and disappeared into the changing room.

"Hey Percy?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why are girls so crazy?" Percy had to keep himself from snorting back laughter.

"Buddy... I'm the last person you should be asking about girls."

A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.

"What the heck." Grover shrugged. Soon, all four of them were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park. Gohan had to rip a tiny hole for his tail, but he was pretty happy as his tail wiggled behind him. Grover glared at Gohan's tail with an uncomfortable look on his face.

They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. Percy got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath. "So Ares and Aphrodite," he said, to keep his mind off the growing dark, "they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth answered. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"That's pretty old gossip." Gohan stated with wide eyes. Annabeth snorted.

"What about Aphrodite's husband?" Percy asked

"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"

"She likes bikers."

"Whatever."

"Hephaestus knows?" Gohan asked curiously with wide eyes.

"Oh sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the- way places, like ..."

She stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that."

In front of them was an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from the small group, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE! Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.

"Okay! Let's go get it!" Gohan started to climb down, but was quickly stopped by Percy and Annabeth.

"Wait! This is too easy,"Annabeth snapped.

"So we just walk down there and get it?" Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue. "There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..." "Grover," Percy said, "you smell any monsters?"

He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."

"Nothing—like, in-the-Arch-and-you-didn't-smell-Echidna nothing, or really nothing?" Gohan countered.

Grover looked hurt. "I told you, that was underground."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Gohan took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."

"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic, but he got the feeling Grover was trying to make up for what had happened in St. Louis. Still, Gohan was secretly happy that he was finally making some headway with Grover.

"I'll do it. Here." Gohan untied the shoes and handed them to Grover, who looked shocked.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked.

"I have a feeling I don't need them anymore." Gohan slid on Grover's shoes.

"Stay up top with the flying shoes." Percy said.

Grover puffed up his chest a little. "Sure. But what could go wrong?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, Gohan, come with me—"

"Are you kidding?" She looked at Percy, and then Gohan as if they'd just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.

"What's the problem now?" Gohan demanded. She whirled to look at him with red cheeks.

"Me, go with you two to the ... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"

"Is this because you kissed Gohan?" Percy demanded. Annabeth sputtered.

"What? No! That was just strategy! Why do I care?" Gohan frowned as he looked between the two.

"Thank you! No one even cares! Luke didn't mind when we told him." A look of shock and disbelief went over Annabeth's face. She let out a shocked squeal of horror.

"WHAT? You told Luke?" she sputtered in shock. Gohan decided to save himself in this regard.

"Percy did! Luke thought it was great that you were branching out.' Annabeth groaned as she covered her face.

"No, no, no! Why did you do that?" Annabeth moaned.

"Look, can we get the stuff so we can go?" Gohan asked.

"Gohan's right. Besides, who's going to see you?" But Percy's face was burning now, too. Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated.

"Fine," he told her. "We can handle it ourselves. Come on, Gohan! Not like anyone's gonna care if two dudes are in a the tunnel of love."

"Ummmm, okay." Gohan said as he followed Percy. Grover let out a small bleat of laughter.

But when they started down the side of the pool, she followed them, muttering about how boys always messed things up.

They reached the boat. The shield was propped on one seat, and next to it was a lady's silk scarf. Percy tried to imagine Ares and Aphrodite here, a couple of gods meeting in a junked-out amusement-park ride. Why? Then he noticed something he hadn't seen from up top: mirrors all the way around the rim of the pool, facing this spot. They could see ourselves no matter which direction they looked. That must be it. While Ares and Aphrodite were smooching with each other they could look at their favorite people: themselves.

"Hi! Hi!" Gohan was once again making an idiot of himself as he waved at the numerous reflections of himself. Then, a curious smell perked up his nostrils, drawing him towards the scarf

While Percy looked around, Gohan picked up the scarf. It shimmered pink, and the perfume was indescribable— rose, or mountain laurel. Something good. The tingly feeling came back, and Gohan let out a goofy giggle. Gohan smiled, a little dreamy and took a deep sniff. It smelled… amazing. He couldn't describe it.

"Wow." Gohan said before taking another big sniff. Then, Annabeth ripped it out of his hand and stuffed it in her pocket. "Oh, no you don't. Stay away from that love magic." Gohan laughed as he looked at Annabeth. Suddenly, she looked amazing. Her hair seemed to glow like sunlight, her eyes looked amazing with its brilliant grey, and her teeth seemed to be pearly white. Gohan's eyes grew wide as saucers as everything seemed to melt away but her.

"Ummmm… Gohan?" Percy asked as he waved his hand in front of Gohan's wide eyes. He didn't even look at Percy before racing towards Annabeth. Before anyone could do anything, he wrapped her arms around her and kissed her, hard on the lips. Percy gaped. Annabeth let out a muffled screech before slapping Gohan away. She winched as she rubbed her hand.

"What in the gods are you doing?" she roared. Gohan looked surprised.

"You're so beautiful." Gohan said with a look of awe as he reached out to touch Annabeth's face. Her eyes widened as she slapped his hand away. She turned incredibly red and cursed out loud.

"Oh gods, he smelled it." Percy stared at Gohan.

"Now what?" Percy asked. Gohan fell to his knees in front of Annabeth.

"You look like an angel! Your eyes pierce my soul! Your hair's as soft as bunnies!" Annabeth groaned in exasperation while Percy howled with laughter.

"I'm sorry, but this is hilarious!" she sighed in frustration.

"And this is why I took the scarf. He went and got himself infected with love magic."

"I need you, Annabeth!" Gohan giggled as he ran towards her with his arms out, like a satyr chasing a nymph.

"Oh no you don't!" She sideswiped him and flipped him over her head, causing him to smack the ground hard, face first. Now normally, Gohan would never get taken down this easily. But... he wasn't exactly in his right mind. Percy winched as Annabeth quickly grabbed his tail, causing him to howl as he laid on the ground.

"Ow! Ow! Come on, Annie! We can work this out! I need you!" Gohan giggled as he looked up at Annabeth. Percy stared in disbelief.

"Wow, that love magic is strong." Percy said. Annabeth snorted as she squeezed.

"This is why Aphrodite is not my favorite goddess." Percy looked concerned.

"That stuff will wear off, right?" she nodded, her face still bright red.

"Yeah. I've seen this plenty of times before back at camp. The daughters of Aphrodite love messing with boys. He'll be fine in a little bit, just really embarrassed."

"Your hair is as flawless as gold!" Annabeth turned even more red.

"Get the shield, Seaweed Brain, and let's get out of here." Annabeth snarled as she squeezed Gohan's tail, causing him to howl.

"Everything okay down there?" Grover called.

"No! Gohan got hit with a burst of love magic and went crazy for Annabeth! It's like watching a satyr chase a nymph!" Grover laughed from above.

"Ah, young love! Such a beautiful thing!" Annabeth looked even more livid.

"Will you just get the shield already?" Annabeth snapped.

The moment Percy touched the shield, he knew they were in trouble. His hand broke through something that had been connecting it to the dashboard. A cobweb, he thought, but then he looked at a strand of it on his palm and saw it was some kind of metal filament, so fine it was almost invisible. A trip wire.

"Wait," Annabeth said with surprise as her grip loosened, allowing Gohan to spring up.

"Too late." Percy said.

"There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap."

Noise erupted all around them, of a million gears grinding, as if the whole pool were turning into one giant machine.

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. Before he could suggest taking cover, they shot, but not at the group below. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

"We have to get out," Percy said.

"Duh!" Annabeth said. Her hands slipped loose, causing Gohan to leap to his feet.

"I'll save you, Annabeth!" She was not in the mood for Gohan's romantic stupor.

"You wanna save me? Come on!" she grabbed Gohan's hand and sprinted towards the edge, Gohan giggling the whole time.

Percy grabbed the shield and they ran, but going up the slope of the pool was not as easy as going down. And Gohan's romantic idiocy was not helping.

"Come on!" Grover shouted.

He was trying to hold open a section of the net for them, but wherever he touched it, the golden threads started to wrap around his hands.

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding them with illumination. Gohan screeched in pain as he doubled back and covered his eyes in pain.

A loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute ... Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight ..."

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid.' Eta is H.' He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools! My mom's gonna see me with this idiot!"

They'd almost made it to the rim when the row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of tiny metallic ... things poured out.

Annabeth screamed.

It was an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward them in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.

"Spiders!" Annabeth said. "Sp—sp—aaaah!"

Percy had never seen her like this before. She fell backward in terror and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots. Then, Gohan picked her up and threw her over his back like a bag

"I will save you, my lady!" he bellowed as he followed Percy, with the trembling Annabeth in his arms.

The things were coming out from all around the rim now, millions of them, flooding toward the center of the pool, completely surrounding the small group. Percy told himself they probably weren't programmed to kill, just corral them and bite them and make them look stupid. Then again, this was a trap meant for gods. And they weren't gods. Well, Percy wasn't sure what Gohan was, but that really wasn't something to think about at the moment.

Gohan and Percy climbed into the boat. Percy started kicking away the spiders as they swarmed aboard. He yelled at Annabeth to help him, but she was too paralyzed to do much more than scream. Gohan was covering her.

"Gohan! You love Annabeth? Protect her!" Percy yelled.

"Okay!" Gohan whirled on the bots as they got close, punching and kicking them, shattering the bots into pieces.

"Thirty, twenty-nine," called the loudspeaker.

The spiders started spitting out strands of metal thread, trying to tie them down. The strands were easy enough to break at first, but there were so many of them, and the spiders just kept coming. Percy kicked one away from Annabeth's leg and its pincers took a chunk out of my new surf shoe. Gohan roared as his hands started to glow. Then, blue blasts fired from his hands, vaporizing groups of spiders by the second. Percy gaped

"You will leave Annabeth alone!" Gohan roared as he continue to fire.

Grover hovered above the pool in his flying sneakers, trying to pull the net loose, but it wouldn't budge.

Think, Percy told himself. Think.

The Tunnel of Love entrance was under the net. They could use it as an exit, except that it was blocked by a million robot spiders.

"Fifteen, fourteen," the loudspeaker called. Water, Percy thought. Where does the ride's water come from?

Then he saw them: huge water pipes behind the mirrors, where the spiders had come from.

And up above the net, next to one of the Cupids, a glass-windowed booth that must be the controller's station.

"Grover!" Percy yelled. "Get into that booth! Find the 'on' switch!"

"But—"

"Do it!" It was a crazy hope, but it was their only chance. The situation was getting from bad to worse every second. The spiders were all over the prow of the boat now. Annabeth was screaming her head off, and Gohan was clearly not in his right mind as he went savage on the spiders. Percy was going to have to be the one to get them out of there.

Grover was in the controller's booth now, slamming away at the buttons.

"Five, four—"

Grover looked up at him hopelessly, raising his hands. He was letting Percy know that he'd pushed every button, but still nothing was happening.

Percy closed his eyes and thought about waves, rushing water, the Mississippi River. He felt a familiar tug in his gut. He tried to imagine that he was dragging the ocean all the way to Denver. He made a mental note not to let Gohan say he told him so about the God of Water Parks thing.

"Two, one, zero!"

Water exploded out of the pipes. It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders. Percy pulled Annabeth into the seat next to him and fastened her seat belt just as the tidal wave slammed into their boat, over the top, whisking the spiders away and dousing them completely, but not capsizing them. Unfortunately for Gohan, he got the brunt of it. Gohan let out a shocked screamed as he was smashed by water in the face, the jolt sending him tumbling out of the boat and into the swirling typhoon.

"Gohan!" Percy cried as he leaped to the side of the boat and plunged his hand into the water. Despite all the jolting and turning, he concentrated. Then, he pulled. An instant later, Gohan shot out of the water and landed back in the boat. He gasped loudly, blinking as he looked at Percy, soaked to the bone

"What happened? I'm wet!" Percy grinned with relief.

"Good to see that you're still with us, lover boy!" Gohan frowned in confusion.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Percy simply smiled.

"Looks like the love magic wore off! Now come on!" The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool.

The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool's concrete wall with such force they burst.

Spotlights glared down at them. The Cupid-cams were rolling, live to Olympus.

But Percy could only concentrate on controlling the boat. He willed it to ride the current, to keep away from the wall. Maybe it was his imagination, but the boat seemed to respond. At least, it didn't break into a million pieces. They spun around one last time, the water level now almost high enough to shred the small group against the metal net. Then the boat's nose turned toward the tunnel and they rocketed through into the darkness.

Annabeth and Percy held tight, both of them screaming as the boat shot curls and hugged corners and took forty-five-degree plunges past pictures of Romeo and Juliet and a bunch of other Valentine's Day stuff. Gohan, on the other hand, cheered.

"Wheeee! This is awesome!" he laughed as he held his hands up in the air. The craft lurched, causing Annabeth to let out a screech of terror.

"You're out of your mind, Air-head!"

Then, they were out of the tunnel, the night air whistling through their hair as the boat barreled straight toward the exit.

If the ride had been in working order, they would've sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool. But there was a problem. The Gates of Love were chained. Two boats that had been washed out of the tunnel before them were now piled against the barricade—one submerged, the other cracked in half.

"Unfasten your seat belt," Percy yelled to Annabeth and Gohan.

"Are you crazy?" Annabeth screamed while Gohan undid his.

"Unless you want to get smashed to death." Percy strapped Ares's shield to his arm. "We're going to have to jump for it."

Annabeth seemed to understand. She gripped Percy's hand with her left and Gohan's with her right as the gates got closer. "On my mark," Percy said. "No! On my mark!"

"What?" "Simple physics!" she yelled. "Force times the trajectory angle—" "Fine.'" Percy shouted. "On your mark!" She hesitated ... hesitated ... then yelled, "Now!"

Crack!

Their boat smashed into the pileup, and they were thrown into the air, straight over the gates, over the pool, and down toward solid asphalt.

"Hang on!" Gohan yelled.

Something grabbed him from behind.

Annabeth yelled, "Ouch!"

Grover!

In midair, he had grabbed Gohan by the shirt, and Annabeth by the arm, and was trying to pull them out of a crash landing, but Annabeth and Percy had all the momentum.

"You're too heavy!" Grover said. "We're going down!"

They spiraled toward the ground, Grover doing his best to slow the fall.

They smashed into a photo-board, Grover's head going straight into the hole where tourists would put their faces, pretending to be Noo-Noo the Friendly Whale. Gohan took most of the impact, landing hard on his back, tumbling over repeatedly before flying straight into an open water pipe. Annabeth and Percy tumbled to the ground, banged up but alive. Ares's shield was still on his arm, safe and snug.

Once they caught their breath, Annabeth and Percy got Grover out of the photo-board and thanked him for saving their lives. Percy looked back at the Thrill Ride of Love. The water was subsiding. Their boat had been smashed to pieces against the gates. Annabeth groaned as she tried to dry off her soaked hair.

"Hey guys? Where's Gohan?" Percy asked. Then, a muffled yelling caused them to turn to see Gohan's bottom half sticking out of the water pipe, his tail wiggling in the air like a crazy snake.

"Help! I'm stuck!" Gohan yelled in a muffled voice. Annabeth let out a loud cruse in Ancient Greek as they rushed over to him.

"Gohan! Stop kicking!" she barked

"How do we get him out?" Percy asked. Annabeth snarled

A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Cupids were still filming. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on them, the spotlights in their faces.

"Show's over!" Percy yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

The Cupids turned back to their original positions. The lights shut off. The park went quiet and dark again, except for the gentle trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love's exit pool. Percy sighed as he turned to look back at their current mess.

"I don't suppose we could leave him here?" Grover asked hopefully. An angry glare from both Percy and Annabeth answered that question.

"One, two, three!" they each pulled on Gohan's legs. He howled in pain as his tail whipped around, smacking Percy in the face.

"Watch it!" Percy snapped.

"Sorry if I can't help it!" Gohan snapped. After ten minutes, Percy and Annabeth back off and looked at his rear.

"This isn't going to work." Annabeth commented.

"You think?" Gohan yelled. Percy frowned. Gohan was stuck in a pipe… a water pipe... wait…

"You might want to stay back. I've got an idea." Then, Percy held his hands out at the pipe and concentrated. The ground started to rumble.

"Hey… wait, what's going on? Guys?" Gohan yelped from inside. Percy concentrated, feeling the water rise up. Then, he willed it to push through the pipe.

"Hey! Wait! WAIT!" Gohan's scream was cut off by loud gurgling.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried. Then, Gohan shot out of the pipe like a bullet and slid on the floor, coughing.

"Seriously?" Gohan sputtered as he shakily stood to his feet. Percy was pretty pissed off at this point. He hated being teased. He hated being tricked. And he had had plenty of experience handling bullies who liked to do that stuff to him. He hefted the shield on his arm and turned to his friends. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."

 **Enjoy that? Trust me, there's more coming next chapter! Enjoy!**


	15. High Flying Times In Lotus City

**Like what you've read so far? Trust me, this adventure's about to get intense!**

It didn't take them very long to get back, although Gohan spent most of the way back babbling apologies.

"I'm sorry."

"We get it, Gohan." Percy answered.

"I'm really sorry." Annabeth groaned out loud as she whirled to glare at Gohan.

"I accept it, Gohan! Look, it's not your fault. Love magic's a really dangerous thing, a lot of heroes have gone awry thanks to Aphrodite."

"Let's just give Ares back his shield!" Percy snapped. Sure enough, the war god was waiting for them in the diner parking lot.

"Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy said.

Ares gave them a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV. Especially love sick monkey boy" Annabeth and Gohan looked extremely uncomfortable.

Percy shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."

Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. Gohan whistled nervously.

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which read KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy said, "You're kidding."

"You're locking us in an animal truck." Gohan stated with wide eyes

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punks. Stop complaining." Gohan rolled his eyes.

"Forgive me for worrying about being locked in a dark cramped truck with animals that might want to eat me and my friends." Gohan stated sarcastically. Ares grinned.

"Think about it this way, punk. You get to spend that time in a small space with Athena's brat. Maybe you'll get lucky." Gohan looked confused, but Annabeth looked mortified. Percy whistled nervously.

"Well… we need as much luck as we can right now." Gohan scratched his head. Annabeth looked horrified.

"Ummm, Gohan! That's not the kind of luck we're looking for." Percy whispered quickly.

"Why? I thought we need luck for this quest." Grover groaned. Percy looked annoyed as he massaged his forehead in frustration. Ares looked amused.

"This kid is so naive that it's hilarious." Percy quickly

"Look… not this kind of luck. Once this is over, we've got to have a talk." Percy gritted in embarrassment.

"Nahh, I'll just show you a video that I saw in class." They were interrupted by the sound of Ares roaring with laughter.

"And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy.

"You've got a lot to learn, kid." Ares chuckled as he glared at Gohan. Inside were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

Percy said, "I don't want your lousy—" He was cut off by Gohan whacking him on the head. Ares grinned

"OW!" Percy snapped

"Just shut up." Gohan snapped.

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving Percy his best red-alert warning look.

"Thanks a lot." Percy snapped. Gohan wasn't too happy about this either. Ares made him feel pretty angry, about everything. Not knowing who he was, why he was here. Personally, he was hoping that this quest would help him remember who he was so he could get home. Then again, did he really want to?

"You don't belong here." A voice whispered in the back of his mind. Gohan frowned at that. What did that mean? Gohan had to admit, he was afraid. There was a part of him that really didn't want to leave. He liked Camp Half Blood, and he really liked Percy and Annabeth. And yes, even Grover. He couldn't explain why, but it felt like they were the first friends his age he'd ever had. He didn't want to leave them.

While Gohan was thinking all this over. Percy looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served them dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt them. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of them.

Great, Percy thought. We'll make the papers again tomorrow.

"You owe me one more thing," Percy told Ares, trying to keep his voice level. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

The ground seemed to spin beneath him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me." Percy snapped

He laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

Percy balled up his fists. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. He felt a hot wind in his hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

"Hang on!" Gohan snapped, causing the god to turn towards him.

"What now, kid?" Ares snapped.

"Where am I from? Who am I? Don't even bother denying you don't know anything." Annabeth and Percy held their breath. Ares chuckled.

"To be honest, kid? I have no idea." That wasn't what Gohan was expecting.

"You're a god! How can you not know?" Percy was the one to snap. Ares glared at him.

"I'm the god of war, not knowledge. Besides, we're all kinda bust at the moment." He revved the motor, but paused.

"I'll say this tough. A few days ago, Hecate mentioned that there had been a great tear in the magical boundaries of our world."

"What? A tear, how?" Annabeth asked. Ares shrugged

"All she said was that the tear was caused by something from another… dimension. Another world, if she said it right. Stupid magic babble." Gohan frowned, but Annabeth looked shell-shocked as she whirled to look at Gohan before staring back at Ares.

"Wait, are you saying?" she began to ask. But, Ares snorted.

"Personally, I really don't care. This stuff's not any of my business."

He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street. Annabeth didn't even notice. She was muttering to herself deliriously.

"What can this mean? A tear in the… dimmensions? Does he mean parallel…" Annabeth said, completely lost in thought.

"Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but ..."

He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry."

Percy didn't like it, but they had no better option. Besides, Percy was pretty sure that everyone seen enough of Denver.

They ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind them.

The first thing that hit Gohan was the smell. It was like the world's biggest pan of kitty litter. He didn't like it. They stumbled around for a minute,

"I'll try going gold again!" Gohan's voice called out.

"Wait! I have a safer way!" Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals he'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL! Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur. Gohan was livid, to say the very least.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?" For once, Gohan and Grover were in agreement.

He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and Gohan would've helped him, but just then the trucks engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and they were forced to sit down or fall down.

"I'm opening those cages!" Gohan snarled. Percy grabbed his arm.

"Wait, until we get to our stop." Gohan gave Annabeth an angry look, but ultimately conceded.

They huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Gohan snarled as he clenched his fists. Annabeth and Gohan were in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Percy pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, he had a feeling they might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips.

Percy found a water jug and refilled their bowls, then used Anaklusmos to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. Gohan gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope. Grover calmed the antelope down, while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off his horn. She wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but we decided that would be too risky with the truck bumping around. They told Grover to promise the animals we'd help them more in the morning, then we settled in for night. Gohan, to their surprise, had an interesting interaction with the lion.

"Good kitty!" Gohan grinned as he rubbed the lion's head, who let out a loud purring noise and licked his hands. Even Grover looked amazed.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened their bag of Double Stuf Oreos and nibbled on one halfheartedly, casting wary glances at Gohan. Percy tried to cheer himself up by concentrating on the fact that they were halfway to Los Angeles. Halfway to their destination. It was only June fourteenth. The solstice wasn't until the twenty-first. They could make it in plenty of time. On the other hand, Percy had no idea what to expect next. The gods kept toying with them. At least Hephaestus had the decency to be honest about it—he'd put up cameras and advertised them all as entertainment. But even when the cameras weren't rolling, Percy had a feeling his quest was being watched. He was a source of amusement for the gods.

"Hey," Annabeth said, having finally snapped out of her muttering daze "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, guys."

"That's okay." Gohan said

"It's just..." She shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," I guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things.

Anyway, I owe you."

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying. Giving him the shoes was a good idea, Gohan."

"I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?" Grover murmured from the corner.

Annabeth and Percy laughed. Gohan simply chuckled.

She pulled apart an Oreo, handed Percy half.

"What happened to you? When Ares spoke, you looked like you saw a ghost." Annabeth shook her head.

"You don't… Gohan, are you sure you don't know where you came from? How you got to camp?" Gohan shook his head.

"Not yet." Annabeth signed.

"Care to explain why you got so spooked?" Percy asked. Annabeth sighed.

"Percy, Hecate said that the magic barriers around our world were torn by something passing through from another dimension, another world." Grover bleated nervously.

"Wait, are you saying that Gohan's from another world? Like, an alien or something?" Gohan stared between Annabeth and Percy in confusion. His head ached.

"I think I'd know if I was an alien." Annabeth nodded slowly to herself.

"No… not like that…" Annabeth paced the length of the truck before turning to look back at the two boys.

"You guys are going to think I'm crazy." Gohan shrugged.

"We're in a world full of gods and monsters. I'm not sure where the line is drawn at crazy anymore." Percy snorted. Annabeth glared, but continued.

"Have you guys ever heard of the multiverse?" Percy scratched his heads.

"Multi-what?" Annabeth snarled.

"Multiverse! Basicially, it suggests that there are other universes parallel to ours. Those universes are kinda like ours, but also different as well. They have their own Earths, which might be the same as ours or vastly different. You get it?" the boys didn't get it.

"I don't get it." Percy stated. Gohan nodded. But, Grover sat up.

"So, like our world, but things were different?" Annabeth nodded.

"I read that some believe every choice and possibility exists out there somewhere." Grover looked elated.

"You mean… like a world where Pan never vanished, and human didn't pillage everything? A world of complete nature?" Grover had such a misty look in his eyes that Gohan almost didn't open his mouth.

"So… what does this have to do with me?" Annabeth simply looked at him. She looked scary in the dim light of Percy's sword. Percy was the one to figure it out.

"Wait, are you saying…" Gohan scratched his head.

"Huh?" Percy groaned out loud.

"She thinks you're from a parallel universe." Gohan stared at Annabeth. Then, he and Percy roared with laughter. Even Grover chimed in, with a mixture of bleats and laughter.

"I'm being serious!" Annabeth snapped. Percy chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Come on, Annabeth. Do you know how crazy that sounds? Gohan, from a parallel universe?" She glared at him.

"Oh really? A week ago, you thought it was crazy that the gods and monsters from Greek mythology existed." That shut Percy up.

"Think about it. He fell out of the sky, and has no memory of where he came from. He has a tail, and he can make weird transformations into gold. I know you're knew at this. But trust me, I have never seen anything like him, demigod, mortal, or monster. Maybe that's because he's not from this Earth." Gohan's tail scratched his head.

"This is way too much to think about right now. Maybe we should finish the quest first." Annabeth looked very reluctant, but slowly nodded before she walked to the wall and slid down. Percy sat down next to her, whole Gohan tried to get comfortable on a pile of bags. After a minute, Annabeth looked up as she munched on an Oreo.

"In the Iris message ... did Luke really say nothing?" Percy and Gohan looked at each other, and clearly were thinking the same thing.

"Well… just the basics." Gohan started.

"Luke said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."

In the dim bronze light of the sword blade, it was hard to read their expressions. Grover let out a mournful bray.

"I should've told you the truth from the beginning." His voice trembled. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."

"You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus." Percy stated.

He nodded glumly.

"And the other two half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp ..." Percy looked at Annabeth. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it?"

She put down her Oreo. "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half- blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were ... amazing monster-fighters, even without training. Not martial arts like Gohan, but still amazing. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."

"I think this is the part where we find out how things went wrong." Grover looked awful, but shakily continued.

"I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," he said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought ... I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us, with an army of hellhounds. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker ..."

"Stop it," Annabeth said. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either. She stood against that whole army and held her own as we fled to camp." Gohan listened with wide eyes.

"Really? Man, that must have been one heck of a fight. Sounds awesome! I would have loved to have been a part of that!" Annabeth and Grover looked horrified. Percy groaned as he covered his face with his hands.

"She sacrificed herself to save us," Grover said miserably, "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."

"Because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind?" Percy said. "That's not fair."

"Percy's right," Annabeth said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling in the dark. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the two most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia and Percy."

"You're not lame," Annabeth insisted. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now. Gohan too, right?"

She kicked him in the shin. Annabeth's face contorted, and she hissed in pain.

"Ow!" Gohan shrugged.

"Yeah," Gohan said, which he would've done even without the kick, which Annabeth was very much regretting at the moment.

"It's not luck that you found Thalia and me, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one who finds Pan." Percy added. He was answered by snoring. Grover was asleep.

"How does he do that?" Percy marveled.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But that was really a nice thing you told him."

"I meant it." Percy answered.

"You should have said something!" she glared at Gohan.

"We don't get along! I already said I agree!" Annabeth scowled at him.

They rode in silence for a few miles, bumping around on the feed sacks. The zebra munched a turnip. The lion licked the last of the hamburger meat off his lips and looked at Gohan hopefully. Percy wasn't sure if the lion thought Gohan was a friend or a tasty snack. Annabeth rubbed her necklace like she was thinking deep, strategic thoughts. "That pine-tree bead," Percy said. "Is that from your first year?" She looked. She hadn't realized what she was doing.

"Yeah," she said. "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress—now that was a weird summer..."

"And the college ring is your father's?"

"That's none of your—" She stopped herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell me." Percy said.

"Yeah, we don't need to know." Gohan added

"No ... it's okay." She took a shaky breath. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her... That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Yeah, well... the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half- Blood."

"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?" Percy asked

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain."

"You shouldn't give up," Percy told her. "You should write him a letter or something."

"Yeah. I may not remember my family, but I still miss them. And I'm pretty sure they're worried about me too. You can pick your friends and have as many as you want, but you only have one family." Gohan added.

"Thanks for the advice," she said coldly, "but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."

They passed another few miles of silence.

"So if the gods fight," Percy said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?"

"Wait, what? What war?" Annabeth sighed.

"If we survive this quest, I've got a lot to explain to you." She put her head against the backpack Ares had given us, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"

Percy couldn't think of an answer for that. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Annabeth was asleep.

"Gohan, why is it that you get stranger every day?" Gohan grinned.

"I've been asking myself that question every day. Do you think Annabeth's right? About the parallel thing?" Percy laughed

"I'm still processing everything about the gods. I think I need a bit more time to

Gohan was back in the dark cavern, spirits of the dead drifting around him. Unseen in the pit, the monstrous thing was speaking, but this time it wasn't addressing me. The numbing power of its voice seemed directed somewhere else.

And he suspects nothing? it asked.

Another voice, one Gohan almost recognized, answered at his shoulder. Nothing, my lord. He is as ignorant as the rest.

"Fortunately for you." A third voice added behind his other shoulder. The second voice snarled.

"You're as responsible for this as I am!" the voice spat

Gohan looked over, but no one was there. The speakers were invisible.

Deception upon deception, the thing in the pit mused aloud. Excellent.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." The third voice laughed.

Truly, my lord, said the voice next to him, you are well-named the Crooked One. But was it really necessary? We could have brought you what I stole directly —

You? the monster said in scorn. You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened, and the plan suggested by our mutual ally.

But, my lord—

Peace, little servant. Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate card. Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands, you both will get what you so desire. However… the boy is a problem. His power is greater than what we were warned about, and even with a shattered mind, his will is strong." The third voice roared with laughter.

"Saiyans are quite resilient creatures, hardly surprising." The second voice snarled.

"Defeating the Chimera in one blow is hardly surprising to you? Don't forget, you would be dead if it wasn't for me!" the third figure laughed.

"Don't expect me to be grateful, boy. You sought an ally, you found one. We have a mutual problem, so we must solve it together." The monster's voice roared with laughter.

"As entertaining as I find your squabble, he is here. They both are.

What? The invisible servant suddenly sounded tense. You summoned him, my lord?" The third voice laughed.

"Hardly surprising. These children are more resilient than I though. I look forward to meeting this Jackson boy. Still, I am surprised you brought them here."

No. The full force of the monsters attention was now pouring over Gohan, freezing him in place.

Blast his father's blood— he is too changeable, too unpredictable. The boy brought himself hither.

Impossible! the servant cried.

For a weakling such as you, perhaps, the voice snarled. Then its cold power turned back on Gohan. So ... you wish to dream of your quest, young half-blood? Then I will oblige.

The scene changed. Gohan was on Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's tree. It looked beautiful. Then, there was a flash of purple light… and the camp exploded. Gohan yelled as he covered his eyes. When he lowered his hands, he stared in horror. There was nothing left but a shimmering stretch of lava.

The evil voice began to laugh. Hail, the conquering hero!

Gohan woke with a start.

Grover was shaking his shoulder. "The truck's stopped," he said. "We think they're coming to check on the animals." Annabeth was shaking Percy awake.

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed.

She had it easy. She just put on her magic cap and disappeared. Grover and Percy had to dive behind feed sacks and hope we looked like turnips. Gohan had it even worse.

"Oh come on!" then, he instinctively leaped.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said. The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra.

"How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked straight at Percy and Grover.

There was no sound, but as clear as day, Percy heard it say: Free me, lord. Please.

There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside with us yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside—it must've been Eddie's—shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?" Knock, knock, knock.

Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

Their guy Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot. A second later, Gohan yelped as he hit the ground.

"Ouch…"

A second later, Annabeth appeared next to Percy. She must've done the banging to get Maurice out of the trailer. She said, "This transport business can't be legal."

"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers!"

That's right, the zebra's voice said in Percy's mind.

"We've got to free them!" Grover said. He and Annabeth both looked at Percy, waiting for his lead. But, Gohan was the one to take the initiative. He roared as he grabbed the bars of the zebra's case and pulled, ripping the bars off like they were twigs. Percy's jaw dropped.

The zebra burst out. It turned to Percy and bowed. Thank you, warrior." Percy heard the zebra say to Gohan.

Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. They rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. They'd just released a zebra in Las Vegas.

Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey!

You need a permit for that!"

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said.

"The other animals first," Grover said. Gohan was already doing that, ripping the bars off the lione's cage first, then the antelopes. Grover raised his hands and spoke the same goat-blessing he'd used for the zebra.

"Good luck," Percy told the animals. The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages and went off together into the streets.

Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—"

"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked. "It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy and Gohan." Annabeth reasoned.

"Hey!" they both protested.

"Kidding," she said. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."

They stumbled out into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and we must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay them much attention.

We passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. We passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made me homesick. Meanwhile, Gohan was marveling at everything.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Annabeth snorted.

"Welcome to Sin City, Gohan. Land of ruined dreams and false hope."

They must have taken a wrong turn, because they found ourselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers—lotus blossom, maybe.

The doorman smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

Gohan was a little suspicious, to say the least. But, he felt exhausted, so he nodded and said that they'd love to come in. Inside, we took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"FOOOOODDD!" Gohan raced over to the snack bar and started stuffing his face.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. He wore a white- and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key." He smiled as he handed a key to a Percy.

Percy stammered, "Um, but..."

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed them each a green plastic credit card, plus one extra for Gohan

"How much is on here?" Percy asked

His eyebrows knit together.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?" He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

After they finally dragged Gohan away from the snack bar, te took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun.. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though anyone doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view with a room like this.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is ..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit everyone. There was even a tailhole for Gohan! Percy frowned, thinking that this was a little strange.

Percy threw Ares's backpack in the trash can. Wouldn't need that anymore. When they left, they could just charge a new one at the hotel store.

They each took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. Gohan sighed as he stood in the shower, letting the warm water run over every inch of him. He changed clothes, ate a bag of chips, drank three Cokes, and came out feeling better than he had in a long time. In the back of his mind, some small problem kept nagging me. He'd had a dream or something ... he needed to talk to my friends. But, he was sure it could wait.

Gohan came out of the bedroom and found that Annabeth, Percy, and Grover had also showered and changed clothes. Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel.

"All those stations," Percytold her, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting."

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place."

Without his even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

"It feels great I've never felt better!"

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

The guys looked at each other and grinned. They all held up their green plastic LotusCash cards.

"Play time," Percy said. He couldn't remember the last time he had had so much fun. After all, he came from a relatively poor family.

He bungee-jumped the lobby five or six times, did the waterslide, snowboarded the artificial ski slope, and played virtual-reality laser tag and FBI sharpshooter. He saw Grover a few times, going from game to game. He really liked the reverse hunter thing—where the deer go out and shoot the rednecks. He saw Annabeth playing trivia games and other brainiac stuff. They had this huge sim game where you build your own city, and you could actually see the holographic buildings rise on the display board. He didn't think much of it, but Annabeth loved it. As for Gohan? Well, he spent the majority of his time at the restaurants and snack bar, stuffing his face full of food, winning quite a few eating contests. He loved the target range, blasting blasts from his hands, leaving head sized holes in the targets.

"Cool!" Gohan grinned as he lowered his hand and turned to look at a boy who looked a little younger than him, with shaggy black hair and freckles scattered on his olive skin cheeks, who was staring at Gohan with a look of awe on his face.

"Heh. I know, right?" Gohan blasted a hole through a clown's face. The boy laughed.

"My sister never lets do anything cool." He scowled. Gohan laughed at that.

"Tell me about it. Girls are always bossy and nagging." the little boy grinned with delight.

"Nico! Come on!" an older girl who was obvious his sister strode over to him and grabbed his arm.

"But Bianca!" he protested as she dragged him away. Gohan shrugged.

"That was weird." He went back to blasting. Meanwhile, Percy was not sure when he first realized something was wrong. Probably, it was when he noticed the guy standing next to him at VR sharpshooters. He was about thirteen, but his clothes were weird. Percy thought he was some Elvis impersonator's son. He wore bell-bottom jeans and a red T-shirt with black piping, and his hair was permed and gelled like a New Jersey girl's on homecoming night.

They played a game of sharpshooters together and he said, "Groovy, man. Been here two weeks, and the games keep getting better and better."

Groovy?

Later, while they were talking, Percy said something was "sick," and he looked at me kind of startled, as if he'd never heard the word used that way before.

He said his name was Darrin, but as soon as Percy started asking him questions he got bored with Percy and started to go back to the computer screen.

Percy said, "Hey, Darrin?"

"What?"

"What year is it?"

He frowned at him. "In the game?" "No. In real life."

He had to think about it. "1977."

"No," I said, getting a little scared.

"Really. Man, that new film Star Wars was awesome. I hope they make a sequel. That Darth Vader was a badass."

"They did make a sequel. They made a whole trilogy! Then three prequels! Which actually sucked." Darrin snorted.

"Star Wars could never suck. Hey, man. Bad vibes. I got a game happening." After that he totally ignored him. Percy got fed up.

"Darth Vader is Luke's dad!" he spat out loud before striding off.

Percy started talking to people, and he found it wasn't easy. They were glued to the TV screen, or the video game, or their food, or whatever. He found a guy who told him it was 1985. Another guy told him it was 1993. They all claimed they hadn't been in here very long, a few days, a few weeks at most. They didn't really know and they didn't care. Then it occurred to him: how long had he been here? It seemed like only a couple of hours, but was it?

Percy tried to remember why they were here. They were going to Los Angeles. They were supposed to find the entrance to the Underworld. His mother ... for a scary second, he had trouble remembering her name. Sally. Sally Jackson. He had to find her. He had to stop Hades from causing World War III.

He found Annabeth still building her city.

"Come on," Percy told her. "We've got to get out of here."

No response.

Percy shook her. "Annabeth?"

She looked up, annoyed. "What?

"We need to leave."

"Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers—"

"This place is a trap."

She didn't respond until he shook her again. "What?"

"Listen. The Underworld. Our quest!"

"Oh, come on, Percy. Just a few more minutes."

"Annabeth, there are people here from 1977. Kids who have never aged. You check in, and you stay forever."

"So?" she asked. "Can you imagine a better place?"

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her away from the game.

"Hey!" She screamed and hit me, but nobody else even bothered looking at us. They were too busy.

He made her look directly in his eyes. He said, "Spiders. Large, hairy spiders."

That jarred her. Her vision cleared. "Oh my gods," she said. "How long have we—"

"I don't know, but we've got to find Grover and Gohan."

They went searching, and found him still playing Virtual Deer Hunter.

"Grover!" we both shouted.

He said, "Die, human! Die, silly polluting nasty person!"

"Grover!"

He turned the plastic gun on him and started clicking, as if they were just another image from the screen.

Percy looked at Annabeth, and together we took Grover by the arms and dragged him away. His flying shoes sprang to life and started tugging his legs in the other direction as he shouted, "No! I just got to a new level! No!"

"You hold him, I'll get Gohan." Annabeth ordered. Percy nodded. She sprinted towards a snack bar, where Gohan's name was being cheered.

"Gohan! Gohan! Gohan!" Gohan pounded his fist on the table as he finished his 50th hot dog. Annabeth shoved her way through the crowd.

"Come on, Gohan. We've gotta go." Gohan glared at her.

"But I just won an all you can eat reward!" Annabeth glared at him. She had to be very careful here. One wrong move, and Gohan would rip her apart. Her eyes darted down towards Gohan's wiggling tail. If she could only grab it! Her hand shot towards his tail. Then, with a lighting fast reflex, his hand gripped her wrist, causing her to hiss in pain.

"What are you doing?" Gohan asked curiously as he looked at her. Annabeth gulped.

"Well… just trying to congratulate you for your big win! We're going to go to the water slide!" Gohan shook his head.

"No, more food." Annabeth groaned.

"Why, mom?" she groaned, knowing exactly what would distract Gohan. Then, she kissed him, getting cheers from the crowd. While Gohan was distracted, her fingers wrapped around his tail and squeezed, causing him to yelp and collapse.

"Sorry." Annabeth grunted as she dragged Gohan towards the enterance, where Percy and Grover were Lotus bellhop hurried up to them. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," Percy told him.

"Such a shame," he said, and he got the feeling that he really meant it, that they'd be breaking his heart if they went. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

He held out the cards, and Percy wanted one. He knew that if he took one, he'd never leave. He'd stay here, happy forever, playing games forever, and soon he'd forget his mom, and his quest, and maybe even his own name. He'd be playing virtual rifleman with groovy Disco Darrin forever.

"Oooh! Gimmie! Gimmie!" Gohan grinned as as he weakly raised his arm, but Annabeth yanked back his arm and said, "No, thanks." Gohan yelped as they dragged him toward the door, and as they did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. Percy thought about our room upstairs. We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once...

Then they burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we'd gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

Ares's backpack was slung over his shoulder, which was odd, because he was sure he had thrown it in the trash can in room 4001, but at the moment I had other problems to worry about. A loud groaning noise made him turn to see Gohan climb up with a baffled expression.

"What happened?" Percy ignored him as he ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when they went in. Then he noticed the date: June twentieth.

They had been in the Lotus Casino for five days. They had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete their quest.

 **Like that? This story's gonna get a lot more exciting really soon! Enjoy!**


	16. Underwater Messages and Tight Discounts

**Hey fans! Ready for another exciting chapter? By the way, I'm surprised no one commented on the Nico and Bianca cameo. Anyway, I digress. Here's the next chapter!**

It was Annabeth's idea.

She loaded them into the back of a Vegas taxi as if they actually had money, and told the driver,

"Los Angeles, please."

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized them up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first." Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card. He looked at it skeptically. "Swipe it," Annabeth invited. He did. His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. He looked back at us, his eyes wide. "Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat up a little straighter. Gohan could tell she liked the "Your Highness" thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

Gohan honestly wished that Annabeth hadn't told him that. The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert. Gohan made a mental note to make sure not to lose the card he had in his pocket.

On the road, they had plenty of time to talk. Percy told Annabeth, Grover, and Gohan about his latest dream, but the details got sketchier the more he tried to remember them. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited his memory. He couldn't recall what the invisible servant's voice had sounded like, though he was sure it was somebody he knew. Gohan chimed in at this point, adding that he had seen the same thing, much to Annabeth and Grover's surprise.

"Two? You're saying two people stole the bolt?" Annabeth asked with surprise.

"The guy did say we. As in more than one person." Annabeth shook her head.

"I never heard anything about a second accomplice. This is even bigger than I thought. And you both having the same dream… that can't be a coincidence."

"So, what did it mean? It sounded like the servants were arguing. The second one sounded pretty angry, and said that he saved the other guy's life." Percy contemplated.

"The other guy seemed pretty annoyed by that, and really doesn't seem to care about loyalty."

"Not that that guy seemed to appreciate it. Did you notice the part about them talking about me?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah. They talked about you like they knew you were coming. The monster seemed pretty annoyed." Gohan nodded at that.

"Yeah, but what were those two calling it? The first servant had called the monster in the pit something other than "my lord" ... some special name or title..."

"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."

"Maybe ..." Percy said, though neither sounded quite right.

"That throne room sounds like Hades'," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."

Percy shook my head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit ... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."

"I'm not sure who the second guy was, but he seemed kinda familiar." Percy looked surprised.

"Not to me. I think knew the first from somewhere, but I don't know who the second guy is." Percy commented.

Annabeth's eyes widened.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Oh ... nothing. I was just—No, it has to be Hades. Maybe he sent these thieves to get the master bolt, and something went wrong—"

"Like what?"

"I—I don't know," she said. "But if they stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting them, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. Maybe that's why there were two thieves, as a team. The first steals the bolt, the second hides it. But, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? They failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt."

Percy wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She looked pale.

"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, "why would I be traveling to the Underworld?"

"To threaten Hades," Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mom back. Seems like no one knows that there was a team."

Percy whistled. "You have evil thoughts for a goat."

"Why, thank you."

"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," Gohan said. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"

Grover shook his head, clearly mystified.

Annabeth was looking at Percy as if she knew his next question, and was silently willing him not to ask it.

"You have an idea what might be in that pit, don't you?" he asked her. "I mean, if it isn't Hades?"

"Percy ... let's not talk about it. Because if it isn't Hades ... No. It has to be Hades." Wasteland rolled by. They passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES. Gohan felt frustrated, to say the least. His memory was definitely getting better, seeing pieces and pieces, but still unwilling to come together to complete the picture. And that dream… he felt like he should now who those two were. It felt like it was eating him alive. But, he simply kept his mouth shut and remained sitting next to Annabeth.

The problem was: they were hurtling toward the Underworld at ninety-five miles an hour, betting that Hades had the master bolt. If they got there and found out they were wrong, they wouldn't have time to correct ourselves. The solstice deadline would pass and war would begin.

"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured them. "You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."

She tried to boost their morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead, but it was clear that none of their hearts were in it. There were just too many unknown factors.

The cab sped west. Every gust of wind through Death Valley sounded like a spirit of the dead. At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave. Grover, Annabeth, Percy and Gohan walked down to the edge of the surf. Gohan secretly wanted to look around, but he knew there was a time and a place for sightseeing.

"What now?" Annabeth asked. After a long minute, Percy stepped into the surf.

"Percy?" Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"

He kept walking, up to his waist, then his chest.

"Hey, Percy! I think you're going out a bit far!" Gohan called out.

Annabeth called after Percy, "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic—"

That's when his head went under. Annabeth let out a terrified squeak, while Gohan looked mystified.

"Should… we do something?" he asked. Grover and Annabeth shook their heads.

"Percy's a son of Poseidon, he'll be fine underwater. He has to do this." Annabeth states, although she had a worried look on her face. Percy stood in the water, floating in the silent void. He held his breath at first. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. He gasped. Sure enough, he could breathe normally.

He walked down into the shoals. He felt something rub against my leg. He looked down and almost shot out of the water like a ballistic missile. Sliding along beside him was a five-foot-long mako shark. But the thing wasn't attacking. It was nuzzling him. Heeling like a dog. Tentatively, Percy touched its dorsal fin. It bucked a little, as if inviting him to hold tighter. Percy grabbed the fin with both hands.

It took off, pulling him along. The shark carried Percy down into the darkness. It deposited him at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm. It was like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much, but knowing the void was right there. The surface shimmered maybe a hundred and fifty feet above. Then, Percy saw something glimmering in the darkness below, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward me. A woman's voice, like his mother's, called: "Percy Jackson."

As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her, and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful he hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding.

She dismounted. The sea horse and the mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag. The underwater lady smiled at me. "You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done."

Percy wasn't quite sure what to do, so he bowed. "You're the woman who spoke to me in the Mississippi River."

"Yes, child. Before the warrior of gold stole you away from the water. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court."

"And ... you serve in Poseidon's court?"

She nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest."

"If my father is so interested in me," Percy said, "why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to me?"

A cold current rose out of the depths.

"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid told me. "He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism."

"Even to their own children?"

"Especially to them. The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift."

She held out her hand. Four white pearls flashed in her palm.

"I know you journey to Hades's realm," she said. "Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do you have these talents?"

"Urn ... no, ma'am."

"Ah, but you have something else, Percy. You have gifts you have only begun to know. The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to manhood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"What will happen?" Percy asked

"That," she said, "depends on the need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."

"What about the warning?"

Her eyes flickered with green light. "Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson." She paused.

"Beware of your ally, the lost warrior with a tail, who can take the form of gold." Percy blinked.

"You mean Gohan?" she nodded.

"Do not put your faith in him. He is not of this world, and his true power is greater than any of you could comprehend. Should that power be unleashed, I fear that none would be able to oppose him. Should that occur, beware, for he will likely not recognize friend from foe. and he will not hesitate to destroy you."

"What? Gohan's a good person, he'd never do that." She simply shook her head.

"Beware, Percy Jackson. A great evil threatens this world, and should it be unleashed, none will be safe. Not even the gods."

She summoned her sea horse and rode toward the void.

"Wait!" Percy called. "What evil are you talking about? At the river, you said not to trust the gifts. What gifts?"

"Good-bye, young hero," she called back, her voice fading into the depths. "You must listen to your heart. I pray you are not wrong about your friend!" She became a speck of glowing green, and then she was gone. Percy kicked upward toward the shore. When Percy reached the beach, my clothes dried instantly. He told Grover, Gohan, and Annabeth what had happened, and showed them the pearls. However, he decided not to mention the warning

Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price." "They were free."

"No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.'

"I wouldn't mind a free lunch." Gohan spoke up. Annabeth snorted.

"That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

On that happy thought, they turned their backs on the sea. With some spare change from Ares's backpack, they took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studios.

"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told Percy. "You a child actor or something?"

"Uh ... I'm a stunt double ... for a lot of child actors."

"Oh! That explains it."

They thanked him and got off quickly at the next stop.

"So, now what?" Gohan asked. The others were silent

"I guess… we start searching." They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book. Twice, they ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars. Personally, Gohan would have preferred to take them on head on, but Percy and Annabeth were rather insistent on not fighting cops for no reason.

Percy froze in front of an appliance-store window because a television was playing an interview with somebody who looked very familiar—his stepdad, Smelly Gabe. He was talking to Barbara Walters—I mean, as if he were some kind of huge celebrity. She was interviewing him in their apartment, in the middle of a poker game, and there was a young blond lady sitting next to him, patting his hand. Gohan frowned. That looked like one big idiot.

A fake tear glistened on his cheek. He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife ... my Camaro ... I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

"There you have it, America." Barbara Walters turned to the camera. "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver." The screen cut to a grainy shot of Percy, Annabeth, Gohan and Grover standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.

"Who are the other children in this photo?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? And who is this mysterious young man?" the screen cut to a security video from the Arch, where Gold Gohan was attacking police officers, and then ripped the emergency doors open with his bare hands. Gohan blushed in embarrassment as Annabeth and Grover stared at him.

"What is he? Who is this young man with such power and issues against authority? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."

"C'mon," Grover told him. He hauled me away before I could punch a hole in the appliance-store window. Unfortunately, they were too late to stop Gohan, who threw a bike through the window before Annabeth could grab him, quickly sprinting off before the owner could see them.

It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play. Gohan was getting frustrated. Time was running out

We walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at us like they were trying to figure if we were worth the trouble of mugging.

As we hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."

Like an idiot, he stopped.

Before he knew it, they were surrounded. A gang of kids had circled us. Six of them in all— white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces. Like the kids at Yancy Academy: rich brats playing at being bad boys. Gohan looked excited. Instinctively, Percy uncapped Riptide.

When the sword appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept coming with a switchblade. But then, Gohan grabbed Percy's arm, causing him to stare at Gohan with confusion.

"Put it away, Percy. They're mine." Annabeth opened her mouth to protest, but Percy quickly shook his head. The kid snickered as he advanced with the blade.

"I'll give you one chance. Leave now, and I wont put you and your friends in critical condition. The other kids looked stunned, but Switchblade Kid simply chuckled. Then, he lunged with his blade. Gohan smirked as he hand lashed out, catching the kid's arm, with the blade an inch from his chext. Then, Gohan's knee shot out and slammed into the kid's chest, sending him tumbling across the ground with a scream. He groaned as he clutched his stomach. Gohan frowned as he picked up the switchblade. Then, he smashed his hands together, much to everyone's disbelief. When he opened his hands, the blade fell out as a smashed up ball.

The other kids stared in disbelief, before charging Gohan with a yell. What happened next… well, it was basically a slaughter. Annabeth gaped as she watched Gohan wave between the kids, lashing out with counter blocks, kicks, and fists. He roared with laughter as he started to glow, kicking one boy straight into a pile of trash cans. He whirled and twisted, hitting the boys in their various arms and legs, until they were groaning and crying on the ground. Gohan whirled as he stared at the last boy, who was backing up with wide eyes.

"Okay! I give, I give!" Gohan simply smiled. Then, he leaped out and kicked the boy, sending him flying… straight into a police car with a loud crash, sending it swerving into a fire hydrant.

"Uh-oh." Gohan said with wide eyes as a pair of cops leaped out of the car.

"Run!" Percy screamed at Annabeth and Grover.

They pushed two kids out of the way and raced down the street, not knowing where they were going. They turned a sharp corner.

"There!" Annabeth shouted.

Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said CRUSTY'S WATER BED PALACE.

They burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the pair of cops ran past outside.

"I think we lost them," Grover panted. A voice behind them boomed, "Lost who?"

They all jumped.

Standing behind them was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick- lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved toward us slowly, but Percy got the feeling he could move fast if he needed to. His suit might've come from the Lotus Casino. It belonged back in the seventies, big-time. The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The lapels on his velvet jacket were as wide as landing strips. The silver chains around his neck—Gohan couldn't even count them.

"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"So, how come the cops are after you?" They gulped as they looked at each other.

"I beat up some punks." The man roared with laughter.

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?"

Percy was about to say No, thanks, when he put a huge paw on his shoulder and steered him deeper into the showroom. There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe- size.

"Whee!" Gohan laughed as he leaped onto a large blue bed and started bouncing, getting loud splashing noises.

"Gohan! Get down from there!" Annabeth snapped. However, the large man simply laughed.

"That's a pretty basic set, but this is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil-flavored Jell-O.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty told them. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, any-way.

"Um," Percy said, "I don't think ..."

"Million-hand massage!" Grover cried, and dove in. "Oh, you guys! This is cool."

"Hmm," Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. "Almost, almost."

"Almost what?" Percy asked.

He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."

Annabeth said, "But what—"

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter. When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.

"Hey!" she protested.

Crusty snapped his fingers. "Ergo!"

Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress. Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down.

"N-not c-c-cool!" he yelled, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. "N-not c-cool a-at all!"

Poor Gohan never even saw it coming, the ropes snagged him mid-bounce.

"What the? Hey!" Gohan yelped as he was tied to the bed by ropes.

The giant looked at Annabeth, then turned toward Percy and grinned. "Almost, darn it."

Percy tried to step away, but his hand shot out and clamped around the back of his neck. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."

"Let my friends go."

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."

"What do you mean?"

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit."

Annabeth and Grover kept struggling. Gohan looked really annoyed as he struggled in his bonds.

"You have five seconds to let me out before I get really mad!" Percy gulped.

"You should listen to him. He's really dangerous when he's mad."

"Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered, completely ignoring them. "Ergo!"

A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Grover and Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling Percy's friends from both ends.

"Don't worry," Crusty told him, "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

"Percy!" Grover yelled.

"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?" Percy asked.

"Legally, it's Procrustes," he admitted.

"The Stretcher," Percy snarled.

"Yeah," the salesman said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."

"You're right. It's got a good ring to it."

His eyes lit up. "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely," Percy said. "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!" Gohan let out a loud roar, the floor starting to rumble. Percy gulped.

The giant grinned hugely, but his fingers didn't loosen on Percy's neck. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind her," He told Procrustes. "She's impossible."

The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?"

"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix."

He let go of Percy's neck, but before he could react, he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe. He said, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

"Ah," Percy said, swallowing hard. "Sensible."

"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!"

The ropes were really stretching my friends now. Annabeth was turning pale. Grover made gurgling sounds, like a strangled goose. And Gohan… Percy gulped. His muscles were swelling, and his teeth clashed together as his hair started to glow.

"So, Crusty ..." Percy said, trying to keep his voice light. Percy glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special. "

"Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out." Percy glanced at Gohan before looking back at Crusty.

"You really should let him out." Crusty gave out a nasty grin.

"Why? He's enjoying it." Percy gulped.

"Well, I tried to warn you. He's really not someone you want pissed." Crusty simply laughed.

"And why's that, demigod?" he chuckled. At that moment, Gohan lost it. He let out a massive roar as a massive yellow light exploded from him, whipping out a furious wind that sent most of the beds flying against the wall, smashing them to bits in showers of wood and water. Percy winched as he lowered his hands, and gaped. Gohan rose from the pile of wood, bathed in a golden glow, his hair standing on end.

Gohan snarled as he ripped the last of the ropes off himself, turning to glare at Crusty. Gohan was enveloped in a golden fire, his hair standing up on end. His eyes were a deep azure color

"Uh oh." Percy said.

"My beds! You broke my beds!" Crusty grimaced. Crusty looked surprised as Gohan glared at him.

"You're going down." Gohan snarled. Crusty frowned.

"So…I see you drive a hard bargain," he told Gohan. "I'll give you eighty percent off on selected floor models. Damaged discount."

"No thanks." Gohan snarled as he slowly walked towards Crusty. Percy quickly got out of the way.

"No money down! No interest for six months!" He backed up to the edge of one of his remaining beds. Gohan stood silently in front of him, a golden aura surrounding him.

"Not interested." Gohan slammed hi fist into the giant's stomach, causing him to crumple, the second punch upside the head, sending him flying back into the bed with a loud splash. Percy winched.

"Ergo." Gohan said. Instantly, ropes shot out of the bed and wrapped themselves around the large giant.

"How about a discount? 95 percent off all deals!" he yelled as he struggled. Gohan raised his hand up and held it out downwards at Crusty, palm open. A yellow light appeared in his hand.

"You're closed." Then, a massive yellow blast shot out of his hand and enveloped Crusty in a massive explosion. When the smoke faded, all that was left was a pile of dust. Gohan stood silently as he lowered his hand. Percy let out a deep breath.

"Gohan? Are you okay?" he asked. Gohan turned to look at Percy, who gulped nervously. For one bried moment, Gohan glared at him. Then, the golden aura vanished and Gohan turned back to normal.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He smirked. Then, a loud groan made both boys turn to see Annabeth and Grover emerge from the pile of shattered wood in the back, soaking wet, groaning and wincing and cursing them a lot.

"You look taller," Percy said.

"Very funny," Annabeth said.

"Be faster next time." She looked around the ruined shop with curiosity.

"What happened?" Percy simply pointed at Gohan

"He happened. He got really, really pissed." Grover bleated nervously.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Gohan." Gohan simply grinned.

Percy looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters—

"The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!" Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. "We are always looking for new talent!" DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Come on," Percy told his friends.

"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death. Then we got smashed against the wall and soaked on top of that."

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," Percy said. "It's only a block from here." Gohan grinned.

"Why are we still standing around here for?"

 **Next step, the Underworld! We've got a lot of action coming up, so get ready! Review!**


	17. Underworld Troubles

**Hey fans! Here's the next chapter in this exciting saga! Enjoy!**

They stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS. Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

"So… this is the Underworld? Fancy." Gohan stated. Annabeth snorted.

"This is just the entrance, muscle head. Believe me, you haven't seen anything yet. I don't suppose your Underworld is any fancier." She countered. Grover groaned.

"You seriously still think Gohan's from another Earth?" Percy was silent, remembering the woman's words.

"We need to move." Percy stated, quickly ending the conversation. It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

Percy turned to his friends. "Okay. You remember the plan."

"The plan," Grover gulped.

"Yeah. I love the plan." Annabeth said,

"What happens if the plan doesn't work?" Gohan asked

"Don't think negative." Percy answered. Annabeth let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Right," she said. "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and we shouldn't think negative."

Percy took the pearls out of his pocket, the four milky spheres the Nereid had given him in Santa Monica. They didn't seem like much of a backup in case something went wrong. Annabeth put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Percy. You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine."

She gave Grover a nudge.

"Oh, right!" he chimed in. "We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem." Gohan blinked when he realized they were staring at him.

"Ummmm… yeah, we've got this." He said, but it really fell flat, and the glare Annabeth gave him basically confirmed that.

Percy laughed as he slipped the pearls back in his pocket. "Let's whup some Underworld butt."

"I just hope I don't have to die to get my memory back." Percy smirked.

"No one's dying tonight." Gohan frowned at that.

"Well, I'm sure someone's dying somewhere…" Annabeth groaned out loud.

"Shut up, Gohan!" Annabeth snapped. They walked inside the DOA lobby.

Muzak played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel gray. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. Out of the corner of my eye, Gohan could see them all just fine, but if he focused on any one of them in particular, they started looking ... transparent. He could see right through their bodies. Not to mention, he couldn't explain why, but they all felt… strange. His gut felt strange. Out of curiosity, he walked up to a redheaded girl his age and poked her. Well, he tried to. His hand went right through her, causing him to yelp and pull his hand back. But, of course, Gohan waved his hand through her several more times until Annabeth grabbed his hand and glared at him.

"Gohan." She stated coldly, causing him to look at her curiously.

"What?" she glared at him.

"Stop poking the spirit. Right now." Gohan frowned, but followed her.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so they had to look up at him. He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag that Gohan read as Charon. But, Percy frowned and said:

"Your name is Chiron?" Gohan gulped nervously as Charon leaned across the desk. He couldn't see anything in his glasses except his own reflection, but his smile was sweet and cold, like a pythons, right before it eats you.

"What a precious young lad." He had a strange accent—British, maybe, but also as if he had learned English as a second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no."

"Sir," he added smoothly.

"Sir," Percy said.

"His name's Charon, Percy. Not Chiron." Gohan spoke up nervously. The man smiled as he pinched the name tag and ran his finger under the letters. "Listen to your friend, mate. Can you read this? It says C-H -A- R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON."

"Charon."

"Amazing! Now: Mr. Charon. Both of you."

"Mr. Charon," Gohan and Percy said in unison.

"Well done." He sat back. "I hate being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

His question caught in Percy's stomach like a fastball. Percy looked at Annabeth for support.

"We want to go the Underworld," she said.

Charon's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" she asked.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" He looked us over. "How did you die, then?" Gohan was the one to take the initiative, somehow letting out a fake gulp.

"Well, it was kinda an accident." Percy and Annabeth stared at him. Charon snorted

"Accident. Very original." Gohan nodded.

"Oh yes, it was awful. I mean, he just wanted to spend some time with his girlfriend." Percy chimed in as he clapped Gohan and Annabeth on the shoulder, earning a look of pure venom from her.

"Choose you next words very carefully… or this trip to the Underworld will be your only one." Percy gulped, but Charon laughed.

"Ah, another love story, how original." Percy nodded.

"Yes sir. You see, Annabeth really loved Gohan, but he was dating another girl named..." Percy was tongue-tied.

"Stacy!" Grover piped up.

"Right! Stacy!" Percy said quickly. Charon frowned.

"So, Annabeth prayed to Aphrodite for Gohan to fall in love with her. So Aphrodite made Gohan fall in love with her. But, Stacy was really pissed off about it and heartbroken, so she ran off into a forest and was crying, and it just so happened that Artemis and her hunters were nearby hunting." Charon looked amused.

"You don't say." Percy nodded.

"Yep. So, when Artemis heard Stacy crying, she appeared before her and asked what happened." Annabeth interrupted.

"Basically, Stacy joined the Hunters, and Artemis turned Gohan into a monkey! See!" Percy held up Gohan's tail, causing him to yelp in pain. Charon looked surprised.

"A monkey? That's new. I didn't think Artemis was that creative." She nodded.

"Yep. They hunted him for sport and killed him." Percy butted in.

"Yep. And Annabeth was so sad that she killed herself with a knife!" Annabeth gave Percy a furious look while Gohan whistled nervously. Grover was simply trying not to laugh.

"This is embarrassing." Charon looked amused.

"Not very original. So, how'd you two get here?" Percy blinked at that.

"I drowned in a bathtub." Percy stated.

"Car accident." Grover added. Charon looked bored.

"How do you lot know each other, than? And get here at the same time?" They looked at each other nervously. But then, Charon simply sighed.

"I don't have time for this. I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children ... alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"Oh, but we have coins." Percy set four golden drachmas on the counter, part of the stash he'd found in Crusty's office desk.

"Well, now ..." Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in ..."

His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

They were so close.

Then Charon looked at Percy. That cold stare behind his glasses seemed to bore a hole through my chest. "Here now," he said. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No," Percy said. "I'm dead."

Charon leaned forward and took a sniff. "Not to mention, you lot spoke about Aphrodite and Artemis. Now how is it that you lot know about them?" Percy's eyes widened as he stared at Annabeth. Charon snarled

"You're not dead. I should've known. You're a godling."

"Ummm… no we're not." Percy sputtered. Charon's eyes narrowed.

"You think me a fool, boy? I've been doing this a very, very long time. I know a hero when I see one." Gohan raised his hand.

"I don't think I'm a demigod. Although most people think I'm a son of Zeus." Charon looked him over.

"Son of Zeus? Don't make me laugh. I don't know what the heck you are, monkey boy. But, these…" he paused as he looked at Percy and Annabeth.

"We have to get to the Underworld," Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound deep in his throat.

Immediately, all the people in the waiting room got up and started pacing, agitated, lighting cigarettes, running hands through their hair, or checking their wristwatches.

"Leave while you can," Charon told them. "I'll just take these and forget I saw you." Gohan snarled as he clenched his fists. But, Percy quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Hang on, Gohan, no need to go nuts. As Obi-Wan Kenobi once said, "There are alternatives to fighting." Annabeth and Grover stared at Percy in disbelief, while Percy turned back towards Charon.

"Obi-who?" Gohan asked. Annabeth sighed.

"Doesn't know Star Wars. He has to be from a parallel Earth." She muttered. Charon started to go for the coins, but Percy snatched them back.

"No service, no tip." Percy tried to sound braver than he felt. Charon growled again—a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors. Gohan bristled.

"It's a shame, too," Percy sighed. "We had more to offer." He held up the entire bag from Crusty's stash. He took out a fistful of drachmas and let the coins spill through his fingers.

Charon's growl changed into something more like a lion's purr. "Do you think I can be bought, godling? Eh ... just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?"

"A lot," Percy said. "I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? Always 'Please don't let me be dead' or 'Please let me across for free.' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

"You deserve better," Percy agreed. "A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay."

With each word, he stacked another gold coin on the counter. Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something even better. "I must say, lad, you're making some sense now. Just a little."

Percy stacked another few coins. "I could mention a pay raise while I'm talking to Hades."

He sighed. "The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you four and be off." He stood, scooped up their money, and said, "Come along."

They pushed through the crowd of waiting spirits, who started grabbing at their clothes like the wind, their voices whispering things Gohan couldn't make out. But, Gohan really didn't like it. Charon shoved them out of the way, grumbling, "Freeloaders." Gohan snarled at the spirits.

"Leave me alone!" Gohan roared as he thrust his fists. The sprits screeched as they flew apart, like a shock wave had hit them. Charon raised an eyebrow.

"Well well, you're certainly something new. You smell different, boy. Way different than anything I've smelled before. For the first time in a long time, I can't figure it out." Chiron paused for a moment, but then grinned.

"I love it! About time something new happened! Things were starting to get boring!" He escorted them into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass. Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on with us and pushed them back into the lobby.

"Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I'm gone," he announced to the waiting room. "And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand? Or I'll sic this kid on you!" he patted Gohan on the shoulder, who shuddered.

He shut the doors. He put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel and they started to descend.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth asked. "Nothing," Charon said. "For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

"Oh," she said. "That's ... fair." Gohan shuddered. He had faint images in his mind of seven glowing balls and a few words. Otherworld. King Kai, Snake Way. It didn't make any sense to him.

Charon raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said death was fair, young miss? Wait until it's your turn. You'll die soon enough, where you're going." Gohan frowned.

"If we do, they can just wish us back to life…" he muttered to himself. But, it was loud enough to get everyone's attention.

"What did you just say?" Annabeth asked. Gohan blinked.

"I'm… not sure." Gohan stated nervously. Percy frowned.

"You said that if we died, then we could be wished back to life. Care to elaborate?" Percy asked. Gohan blinked.

"I don't know." He stated. Charon snorted.

"Wish back to life? That's a new one. And I though I saw everything with that Orpheus moron. Still, wish all you want, kids, it wont help."

"We'll get out alive," Percy said.

"Ha."

Gohan got a sudden dizzy feeling. They weren't going down anymore, but forward. The air turned misty. Spirits around him started changing shape. Their modern clothes flickered, turning into gray hooded robes. The floor of the elevator began swaying.

He blinked hard. When Gohan opened his eyes, Charon's creamy Italian suit had been replaced by a long black robe. His tortoiseshell glasses were gone. Where his eyes should've been were empty sockets—like Ares's eyes, except Charon's were totally dark, full of night and death and despair. Gohan felt a little quesy when he looked at Charon. He couldn't explain it, but Charon felt… wrong, empty.

He saw him looking, and said, "Well, monkey boy?"

"Nothing," Gohan managed.

I thought he was grinning, but that wasn't it. The flesh of his face was becoming transparent, letting me see straight through to his skull.

The floor kept swaying.

Grover said, "I think I'm getting seasick."

When Gohan blinked again, the elevator wasn't an elevator anymore. They were standing in a wooden barge. Charon was poling us across a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other, stranger things—plastic dolls, crushed carnations, soggy diplomas with gilt edges. Gohan blinked in disbelief. He had never seen anything like this.

"The River Styx," Annabeth murmured. "It's so ..."

"Polluted," Charon said. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across—hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

Mist curled off the filthy water. Above them, almost lost in the gloom, was a ceiling of stalactites. Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the color of poison. Panic closed up Gohan's throat. What was he doing here? These people around him ... they were dead. For some reason, that really bothered him.

Annabeth grabbed hold of his hand. Under normal circumstances, this would've embarrassed him, but he understood how she felt. She wanted reassurance that somebody else was alive on this boat. He noticed that her other hand was gripped on Percy's, who was muttering a prayer, though it wasn't quite sure who he was praying to. Down here, only one god mattered, and he was the one they had come to confront.

The shoreline of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far as we could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones—the howl of a large animal.

"Old Three-Face is hungry," Charon said. His smile turned skeletal in the greenish light. "Bad luck for you, godlings."

"Who are you talking about?" Charon's smile grew even larger.

"Oh, you're in for a surprise, monkey boy."

The bottom of their boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A woman holding a little girl's hand. An old man and an old woman hobbling along arm in arm. A boy no older than they were, shuffling silently along in his gray robe.

Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise."

He counted their golden coins into his pouch, then took up his pole. He warbled something that sounded like a Barry Manilow song as he ferried the empty barge back across the river. They followed the spirits up a well-worn path.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top. Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls like Charon. The howling of the hungry animal was really loud now, but Gohan couldn't see where it was coming from.

"What was he talking about?" Gohan asked. Annabeth stared at him.

"Cerberus, the three headed dog who guards the door to the Underworld." She answered. Gohan looked around.

"I don't see it, is it big?" he asked as he stared ahead. The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANT ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

"I don't know." Gohan could tell that really bothered Annabeth.

"What do you figure?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," she said. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them."

"First of all, Asophel what? Second, there's a court for dead people?" Gohan asked

"Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare—people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward—the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields." Gohan frowned. For some reason, that sounded kind of familiar. But he couldn't explain why.

"And do what?" he asked

Grover said, "Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever."

"Harsh," Percy said.

"Sounds boring. I mean, spending eternity… doing nothing?" Gohan commented. Annabeth and Grover nodded.

"Seriously? That's awful! I'd hate to spend eternity doing nothing!"

"Not as harsh as that," Grover muttered. "Look." A couple of black-robbed ghouls had pulled aside one spirit and were frisking him at the security desk. The face of the dead man looked vaguely familiar.

"He's that preacher who made the news, remember?" Grover asked.

"No." Gohan stated.

"Oh, yeah." Percy did remember. H'd seen him on TV a couple of times at the Yancy Academy dorm. He was this annoying televangelist from upstate New York who'd raised millions of dollars for orphanages and then got caught spending the money on stuff for his mansion, like gold-plated toilet seats, and an indoor putt- putt golf course. He'd died in a police chase when his "Lamborghini for the Lord" went off a cliff. He explained this to Gohan, who looked disgusted.

"What're they doing to him?" Percy asked.

"Special punishment from Hades," Grover guessed. "The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur—the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him." Gohan blinked.

"The Furies again? You think they'd have learned by now." Grover looked sick.

"But if he's a preacher," Percy said, "and he believes in a different hell... ."

Grover shrugged. "Who says he's seeing this place the way we're seeing it? Humans see what they want to see. You're very stubborn—er, persistent, that way."

They got closer to the gates. The howling was so loud now it shook the ground at my feet, but Gohan still couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Then, about fifty feet in front of them, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster. Gohan hadn't seen it before because it was half transparent, like the dead. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid. And it was staring straight at them.

"I think we found the dog." Gohan stated.

"He's a Rottweiler." Percy stated. Gohan stared up. That was one big dog, he was twice the size of a woolly mammoth, mostly invisible, and had three heads. The dead walked right up to him—no fear at all. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

"I'm starting to see him better," Percy muttered. "Why is that?"

"I think ..." Annabeth moistened her lips. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead."

The dog's middle head craned toward them. It sniffed the air and growled.

"It can smell the living," said.

"But that's okay," Grover said, trembling next to me. "Because we have a plan."

"Right," Annabeth said. Percy had never heard her voice sound quite so small. "A plan."

"What do you think, Gohan?" Percy asked as he turned to look at his friend… only to see that he was gone.

"Gohan? Where'd you go?" Annabeth and Grover whirled, looking around in confusion until Annabeth let out a horrified gasp.

"What he is doing?" Percy and Grover followed her finger and gaped. Gohan was jogging up to the beast. The middle head snarled at him, then barked so loud my eyeballs rattled.

"Can you understand it?" Percy asked Grover.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I can understand it."

"What's it saying?"

"I don't think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly." Gohan stopped at the middle and looked up.

"Hi! You're a big doggy, aren't ya?" the dog's middle head looked at Gohan and snarled. Annabeth squeaked as she covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers. The middle head dropped down until it was an inch from Gohan, and snarled, showing off its large white teeth.

"GROWWWLLLL!" Gohan frowned as he stared at the dog.

"Aww, are you bored?" Gohan scratched the dog's large chin, causing Annabeth to gape.

"Well, it was nice knowing him." Grover stated. Then, Cerberus let out a loud bark that made the ground shake.

"Good boy!" Gohan grinned as he kept scratching. Cerebus' other heads barked happily and panted.

"Good puppy! You like that, huh?" Cerberus' heads barked happily. Then, the large dog literally flipped on it's back, squishing a large group of spirits. Gohan climbed onto the dog's stomach and began rubbing with both of his hands. The large dog barked happily as its left head licked Gohan, covering him in dog spit. Grover grimaced.

"Good puppy! You like that?" Gohan's tail made a gesture, and Percy realized what Gohan was doing.

"Come on. Quick!" He grabbed Annabeth's hand and quickly took off. They carefully made their way past the giant dog, who was too busy playing with Gohan. He laughed as he leaped up and patted the middle head, which panted as the right head licked his back. Once the other three had made their way past the dog, Gohan smiled. Then, he leaped over and scratched the dog down his back, who yipped happily. Then, Gohan jogged to join Percy, Annabeth and Grover, all who recoiled.

"What?" Gohan asked as he scratched his head.

"You're covered in dog spit!" Percy sputtered.

"Never mind that," Grover said, tugging at his shirt. "Come on!"

They were about to bolt through the EZ DEATH line when Cerberus moaned pitifully from all three mouths. Gohan stopped. He turned to face the dog, which had done a one-eighty to look at them. Cerberus panted expectantly.

"Good boy! I had a lot of fun!" Gohan grinned. The monster's heads turned sideways, as if worried about her.

"I'll come back to play soon!" The monster whimpered. Gohan didn't need to speak dog to know Cerberus was still waiting for more playtime.

Percy and Gohan pushed through the metal detector, which immediately screamed and set off flashing red lights. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

Cerberus started to bark.

They burst through the EZ DEATH gate, which started even more alarms blaring, and raced into the Underworld, sprinting as fast as he could. A few minutes later, they were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security ghouls scuttled past, yelling for backup from the Furies.

"Well, that went well." Grover stated sarcastically.

"I'm gonna kill Gohan! Just running up without the slightest plan!" Annabeth snarled. Percy frowned as he looked around in the cramped tree.

"Wait… where's Gohan?" They quickly realized, much to their horror, that Gohan wasn't with them.

"Oh great." Annabeth cursed out loud.

Gohan was lost. Well, he was pretty sure that he was lost. He had been so focused on running from the security ghouls that he really hadn't paid attention to where he was going.

"Percy? Annabeth? Grover?" he called out. He was answered with a flurry of whispers.

"Brilliant, now I'm lost." He muttered as he kept walking, looking around as he went.

The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees grew in clumps here and there.

The cavern ceiling was so high above him it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint gray and looked wickedly pointed. Several of those rocks dotted around the fields were several that had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass.

Trying to look at the dead didn't help at all either. Their faces shimmered. They all looked slightly angry or confused. Some came up to Gohan and spoke, but their voices sounded like chatter, like bats twittering. Thankfully, they just moved away after a little bit. But what was in the distance also had his attention. He could see a line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION Welcome, Newly Deceased! Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, he could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. He could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus (Annabeth had told him the story on the truck) struggling to move his boulder to the top. And he saw worse tortures, too—things he didn't want to and never would describe.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down toward a small valley surrounded by walls—a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. I could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.

Elysium. Gohan nodded at that. Right, Elysium. Annabeth had told him about the Underworld on their trip.

"That's the place for heroes." She had told him. That was where people who had done heroic deeds in their lives. In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort.

Gohan remembered what Annabeth had told him about those. They were The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium. Immediately, Gohan knew that was where he wanted to go when he died, someday. As Gohan looked out at the two sides, he felt a bit sad.

He thought about how few people in Elysium, how tiny it was compared to the Fields of Asphodel or even the Fields of Punishment. So few people did good in their lives. It was depressing. Then again, his current situation was pretty depressing as well. He was stuck in an unknown place, and he had no idea where his friends were. He was stuck. But, he knew he had to keep going. So, he kept walking.

It got darker. The colors faded from his clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin. Gohan wasn't sure how long he walked before he stopped to catch his bearnings… and everything still looked the same.

"Are you lost?" Gohan let out a shock yip and leaped a foot in the air, whirling to look at the source of the voice. He was met with… a girl. Sitting against a black tree was a little girl. She was an African American, with shoulder-length curly cinnamon brown hair and gold eyes. She was clad in black robes, and looked at Gohan with a curious expression on her face.

"You're alive." She said it as a statement more than a question.

"Ummm… yeah. Who are you?" the girl stood up and looked at Gohan.

"I'm Hazel. Hazel Levesque." Gohan tried to pronounce that, but couldn't.

"What are you doing down here?" he finally asked.

"I died." She answered. Gohan scratched his head.

"Oh. Sorry. But you're… not like them." He gestured. She cocked her head.

"I know. I think it's because I'm a daughter of Pluto." Now Gohan was confused.

"Who?" She looked at him curiously. Gohan simply groaned as he scratched his head.

"Look, I'm lost, and I don't have a lot of time. I don't suppose you know where I can find Hades?" She looked at him curiously.

"You know, the guy who runs this place?" Hazel nodded.

"Yes, I know where it is." Gohan frowned.

"Can you show me?" she smiled and nodded.

"Follow me." Hazel set off through the wade of spirits. Gohan frowned, but followed her.

"So… how long have you been down here?" he asked as he walked next to her. Hazel looked at him.

"I can't remember. It feels like forever." Gohan looked at her. She looked the same age as him.

"Where are you from?" Hazel asked.

"I… don't know. I can't remember." Hazel looked at him as they kept walking.

"So… you're lost?" Gohan thought about that for a moment, but nodded.

"You're lucky." Gohan looked at Hazel in confusion.

"I remember everything. I relieve it every day. Sometimes… I wish I could forget. Maybe it's better that you forget. No more bad memories, no more pain. Just good memories." Gohan contemplated that. Was she right? Maybe this amnesia was a good thing. Were there horrible things in his past that he was better off forgetting? Gohan thought deeply about this as they continued to walk through the Fields. After some time, he answered.

"I… I think that it's important to remember everything, the good and the bad. Otherwise… how can we learn from it? That's why I need my memory back. So I can remember who I am… and why I'm here in the first place." Hazel frowned at that.

"I guess that's a good reason." She answered.

"How'd you get here?" he asked nervously. Hazel looked at him.

"It's… a very long story." she answered.

After a few miles of walking, they began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark batlike creatures: the Furies.

"That's where Hades is?" Gohan asked. She nodded.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Gohan gulped. He could feel the dark energy from here.

"To be honest, I'm not a planning kind of person. Thanks for being a guide." Hazel looked at him.

"What do you want with him, anyway?" Gohan frowned.

"He stole something. I just want it back." Gohan stated. Hazel looked curious, but didn't say anything.

"Well, good luck." Gohan frowned.

"You're not coming?" Gohan asked. She looked at him with a sad look in her gold eyes.

"I'm dead, Gohan. I can't leave the Asphodel Fields." Gohan gaped at her.

"But…I can't just leave you here. You're not like them! You can think!" She smiled.

"I already told you, I made my choice a long time ago. I'm content with my choice." Gohan's shoulders sagged.

"You wont spend eternity here. I promise." Hazel smiled, before pecking Gohan on the cheek.

"Thanks for the chat, Gohan. It was nice to do something new. I hope you find what you're looking for." Gohan watched as Hazel turned and walked away. After a minute, she was swallowed up by the sea of spirits. Gohan felt awful.

"Thanks, Hazel." He said softly before turning to look back at the large palace. So… now what?

"Gohan! There you are!" Gohan whirled just in time to get tackled by a furious Annabeth, with Grover and Percy close behind.

She pounded him with her her fists while sprouting curses.

"Out of your mind? Made us all sick with worry!" she spat a few curses in Ancient Greek before Percy and Grover were able to pull her off. She panted with a furious expression on her face.

"We're just happy to see you still alive." Percy said.

"How'd you get here?" Grover asked. Gohan decide to stick to the basics. He simply explained to them that he had been lost until a spirit named Hazel guided him here. Annabeth looked confused.

"She said she was a daughter of Pluto? And she was sentient?" Gohan nodded. Annabeth looked confused.

"That mean something?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Something for another time. We need to focus on Hades." Grover looked terrified.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully.

"We'll be okay." Percy tried to sound confident.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first," Grover suggested. "Like, Elysium, for instance ..."

"Come on, goat boy." Annabeth grabbed his arm. Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I didn't—"

He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from us.

"Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

Gohan reached for Grover, but he was too late. He was picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled.

They ran after him. Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!" Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces. They kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he ripped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance. Gohan was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades's palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction. The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. Annabeth and Percy had to sprint to keep up. Gohan kept jogging, reaching out to grab him, but he just remained out of arm's reach. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and he'd realized we'd entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Grover!" Percy yelled, my voice echoing. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" he yelled back.

He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down. The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on Gohan's arms bristled. It smelled evil down here. It made me think of thingsheI shouldn't even know about—blood spilled on an ancient stone altar, the foul breath of a murderer.

Then Gohan saw what was ahead of them, and he stopped dead in his tracks. Percy did the same.

The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

Grover was sliding straight toward the edge. "Come on, idots!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at Gohan's wrist. "But that's—"

"I know!" she shouted. "The place you two described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him." She was right, of course. Grover's predicament got him moving again. He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him toward the pit, and it didn't look like we could possibly get to him in time. Then, Gohan leaped and grabbed Grover's arms, and dug into the ground.

"Come on!" Gohan yelled.

What saved him were his hooves. The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, Gohan was holding onto him for dear life as he dug his feet in the ground. Percy grabbed Gohan and held on, followed by Annabeth a second sooner. It was a fight between the two, until the shoes finally caved. The left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. Now that Grover was slower, they were able to haul him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.

They all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

"I don't know how ..." he panted. "I didn't..."

"Wait," Percy said. "Listen."

They heard something—a deep whisper in the darkness.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place—"

"Shh." Percy stood.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below them. Coming from the pit.

Grover sat up. "Wh—what's that noise?"

Annabeth heard it too, now. He could see it in her eyes. "Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus." Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. Gohan snarled as he clenched his fists. The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.

Percy could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if ...

"Magic," he said.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said.

Together, they dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. His legs wouldn't move fast enough. His backpack weighed him down. But, Gohan grabbed him and sprinted, pulling Percy with him. The voice got louder and angrier behind us, and they broke into a run.

Not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. If they'd been any closer to the edge, they would've been sucked in.

They kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy that they had gotten away.

"What was that?" Grover panted, when they'd collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?" Gohan panted as he wiped his head.

"I don't know what that was, but it was nasty! It felt evil!" Gohan panted

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other. He could tell she was nursing an idea, probably the same one she'd gotten during the taxi ride to L.A., but she was too scared to share it. That was enough to terrify him.

Percy capped his sword, put the pen back in his pocket. "Let's keep going." Percy looked at Grover.

"Can you walk?"

He swallowed. "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway."

He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth and Percy were. Gohan was a bit more relaxed, though he looked on edge.

Whatever was in that pit was nobody's pet. It was unspeakably old and powerful. Even Echidna hadn't given him that feeling. Gohan was almost relieved to turn his back on that tunnel and head toward the palace of Hades. Truth be told, Gohan was pissed.

"Now that that's out of the way… I think it's time we paid your uncle a visit, Percy." Gohan stated. Percy nodded.

"It's about time." Percy stated.

 **Did you like that? There's a lot more coming next chapter! Review!**


	18. Negotiations Go Sour

**Hey fans! Here's the next exciting chapter in this saga! Enjoy!**

To say they were nervous as they approached Hades' palace was an understatement. Percy was sweating bullets, and Grover looked like he wanted to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Annabeth was shaking, and Gohan was licking his lips nervously.

The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.

"Okay, this has to be a trap. The gate is wide open." Gohan stated as they approached the gate. Annabeth nodded.

"Probably a trap." She agreed.

"But we have to do it anyway." Percy stated.

Up close, they saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times—an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls—but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago.

"So… those are all things that actually happened?" Gohan asked.

"Yes. All the worse examples of death." Annabeth simply stated. They quickly walked through

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden Gohan had ever seen. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as his fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues— petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs—all smiling grotesquely. Gohan shuddered.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking. Don't touch or eat anything. Especially you, Gohan." She ordered. Gohan frowned as he looked away from the pomegranates.

"Yeah… I'm not hungry." He stated. But, his nose was telling a different story. Annabeth quickly pulled him away. They walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above.

"Talk about lazy. No roof?" Gohan pointed out. Percy shrugged.

"Not like they have to worry bout rain down here." Percy answered. Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered them, but their hollow eye sockets followed them as they walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end. Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at them, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door- to-door salesmen."

Gohan frowned as he looked at Percy, who was fighting uncomfortably.

"You okay?" Percy frowned.

"My bag weighs a ton. I could have sworn that it wasn't that heavy before." Then, they reached the doors.

"Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should ... knock?"

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said.

The room inside looked just like in his dream, except this time the throne of Hades was occupied. Gohan shuddered as he looked at the throne.

"So… this is Hades." Gohan thought.

He was the third god he'd met, but the first who really struck him as godlike. He was nothing like Ares or Dionysus. Hades was at least ten feet tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther. Gohan snarled as he clenched his fists. There was something about Hades that made him red hot with rage. Hades had the same intense eyes, the same kind of mesmerizing, evil charisma. Gohan could have sworn that Hades' eyes turned purple for a second.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish." Then, Percy stepped forward.

"Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. Gohan shuddered as his fists balled up.

"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

Percy swallowed. This was going about as well as he'd feared. Percy glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades's. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. He wished Queen Persephone were here. He recalled something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the planet, created the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded him in the back.

"Well? Now what?" Gohan asked. Percy stepped forward.

"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be ... bad."

"Really bad," Grover added helpfully.

"Apocalypse bad." Gohan chimed in

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

Percy glanced back at my friends. They looked as confused as he was.

"Um ... Uncle," Percy said. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

"Okay, this escalated quicky!" Gohan yelled as his fists started to glow blue. Percy gulped nervously.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said carefully. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

"Yeah! I got lost in there!" Gohan added. Everyone glared at him.

"Okay, never mind." Gohan muttered.

"Well..." Percy began to say.

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

Percy opened his mouth to respond, but Hades was on a roll now.

"More security ghouls," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise," Gohan blurted, just remembering the fact. However, he had a feeling that was a very bad idea, based on the angry looks he was getting.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"Can't you just fly?" Hades glared at Gohan. Percy quickly intervened.

"But you took Zeus's master bolt." He stated.

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?"

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus, You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"But ..." Annabeth spoke. Percy could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping this hero—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. And… that!" Hades roared as he pointed at Gohan.

"Me?" Gohan asked. Hades' eyes narrowed.

"Yes, you! Do you think I will back down just because you have some great power? My Furies have already told me about your power, and I am not impressed. I don't know what you were promised to bring you to this world, but I will not be intimidated! Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed or forced into supporting him?"

"No!" Percy said. "Poseidon didn't—I didn't—"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But—"

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson— your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

The skeletal soldiers all took one-step forward, making their weapons ready.

"You're as bad as Zeus," Percy said. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you—I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?" Gohan asked

"Return my property!" Hades demanded.

"You need to shut up!" Gohan snapped. Hades hissed with rage.

"Insolent brat! I will ensure that you never return to your world! I will keep you in the Fields of Punishment for eternity!" Percy interrupted, because he could clearly see Gohan starting to glow blue.

"I don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt." Percy interrupted

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could you threaten me with that freak!"

"But I didn't!" Percy protested

"Open your pack, then."

A horrible feeling struck him. The weight in my backpack, like a bowling ball. It couldn't be...

Percy slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

"Seriously?" Gohan asked with disbelief.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How—"

"I—I don't know. I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now ... my helm.

Where is it?"

"Lord Hades, wait," Percy said. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared. The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at them eagerly and flicked her whip.

"Look! Just let us go on our way, and I wont hurt you!" Hades glared at him.

"You dare threaten me?! Insolent brat! I will teach you to respect a true god!" Hades roared. Then, a black light shot out of his hand, which slammed into Gohan's chest, sending him tumbling across the ground.

"GOHAN!" Annabeth cried with a horrified look. Percy gaped. But them, a roar erupted from the back of the room, and a wind rushed through the room, so strong that several skeletons shattered apart. Gohan slowly rose, his shoulders hunched. Blue sparks erupted from his body, dancing across the ground. An inhuman snarl roared from his lips.

"What is this?" Hades roared. Annabeth squeaked.

"Gohan?" he glared at Ares. His hair shimmered as blue electricity danced over his hair.

"YOU!" he pointed at Hades.

"Kill him!" the god roared. The skeletons opened fire, but Gohan didn't even notice. The bullets bounced off him and the spears shattered. Percy gulped. Gohan was made, real mad. His tail thrashed behind him as his hair waved. But, it didn't turn gold this time.

"MASEKNO!" Gohan roared as his hands crossed over his head. A yellow light filled the room, and a yellow ball appeared in Gohan's hands.

"HAAAAAA!" Gohan roared as he thrust his hands forward, firing a massive yellow blast. It shot from his hands, shooting across the room in a massive yellow blast. Percy and Annabeth leaped to the side as the blast slammed into Hades. The room erupted in a massive explosion, sending out a massive wind, covering the room in smoke. Percy and Annabeth grunted as they covered their faces, and Grover bleated as he slammed against the wall. Gohan let out a loud sigh as he fell to his knees and took several deep breaths.

"Gohan!" Percy cried as he ran over to him. Gohan groaned as he stood up.

"That was… wow!" Percy sputtered. Gohan let out a groan .

"Are you okay?" Gohan nodded.

"That was stupid." Annabeth snapped. Percy whirled to glare at her.

"What? Gohan just took him out!" She snorted.

"Are you seriously this stupid? You can't kill a god! All Gohan did was piss him off!" she snapped. Gohan sighed as he crossed his arms. Then, the ground shook violently, causing them all to stumble.

"What?" Gohan sputtered as they whirled to face the throne. The smoke slowly faded, revealing Hades, standing in the same place where he had been standing before. The wall behind him was shattered, and Persephone's throne had taken a hit as well, with large pieces smashed off. Percy was suddenly very grateful that Persephone was not here. Hade's throne was damaged as well, with the upper half blown off. His robes were seared and burned. He was standing in the same stance he had before, but not saying a word. Then, a small trickle of golden blood dripped off the side of his mouth. Very slowly, Hades raised a robed arm to his mouth and wiped the blood off his mouth.

"Oh boy." Grover whimpered. Percy gulped. In his experience, when someone was very silent after someone did something very stupid, that was a very bad sign." He looked at his wife's now trashed throne, before turning back with a look of pure rage on his face

"For this insult… you will all know nothing but complete agony! I will see you face eternal torture in the Fields of Punishment, with punishments so gruesome that stories will be written about them!" Hades hissed as he began to glow. Grover wimpered

"Uncle, I beg you! This is just all a big mistake!" Percy protested. Hades snarled.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come—I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of me, and there was Percy's mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change." Then, Hades turned and looked at Gohan.

"But you. Trespasser. You may not belong on this world, but I will ensure that you never leave it. Leave this one, Percy Jackson, and you may live and leave with your mother." Then, Hades smiled.

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, and Percy's blood froze. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

His hand moved against his will and brought out the pearls.

"Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and the Trespasser and accept my terms."

Percy looked at Annabeth, Grover and Gohan. Their faces were grim. "We were tricked," he told them.

"Set up." Gohan added

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit—"

"I don't know yet," Percy said. "But I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy." Grover put his hand on Percy's shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt,"

"I know that."

"Leave me here," he said.

"Use the fourth pearl on your mom."

"No!"

"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You two go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."

"No way," Grover said. "I'm staying behind."

"Think again, goat boy," Annabeth said.

"No, you two aren't! I am! I can take this guy! Besides, he wants me anyway. I'll throw him down the pit and make my way out the hard way!" Gohan grinned

"Stop it, all of you!" Percy snapped.

"I know what to do," I said. "Take these." I handed them each a pearl.

Annabeth said, "But, Percy ..."

Percy turned and faced his mother.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, "Godling ... ?"

"I'll find your helm, Uncle," he told him. "I'll return it. I swear I will."

"Don't forget about Charon's pay raise!" Gohan added

"Do not defy me—"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes getting rubbed on his tummy." Gohan added.

"Percy Jackson, you will not—"

Percy shouted, "Now, guys!"

They smashed the pearls at their feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened.

Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame. Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at their feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. They was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground. Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as we floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook.

"Look up.'" Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"

Sure enough, they were racing right toward the stalactites, which Percy figured would pop their bubbles and skewer them.

"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.

"I don't think you do!" Percy shouted back.

"You didn't get instructions?" Gohan shouted.

They screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and ... Darkness. They were going up, right through solid rock as easily as an air bubble in water. That was the power of the pearls, Percy realized— What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.

For a few moments, none of them could see anything outside the smooth walls of their spheres, then their pearls broke through on the ocean floor. The spheres soared upward through the water. And— ker-blam!

They exploded on the surface, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

Percy grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a life buoy. Gohan caught Annabeth and dragged her over too. A curious shark was circling them, a great white about eleven feet long. Gohan waved at the shark.

Percy said, "Beat it."

The shark turned and raced away.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from them as fast as he could.

Somehow, Percy knew what time it was: early morning, June 21, the day of the summer solstice.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades's fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after them right now. Percy actually wasn't sure who Hades hated more at the moment, him or Gohan. But at the moment, the Underworld wasn't their biggest problem.

"We need to find Ares. We're seriously overdue for a serious conversation." Percy stated. Gohan snarled.

"Let's go kick a god's ass." he stated.

 **Enjoy that? The action's coming next chapter. And just to be clear, Gohan's power up against Hades was NOT Super Saiyan 2. Note that his hair didn't go gold. It was kind of like Goku's false Super Saiyan form against Lord Slug. Very similar, but not close. Gohan's not there yet.**


	19. The God of War Attacks!

A Coast Guard boat picked them up, but they were too busy to keep them for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls. They dropped them off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around their shoulder s and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! and sped off to save more people.

Their clothes were sopping wet, even Percy's. Gohan was NOT happy, especially since his poor tail was soaked and stiff, since he had to keep it wrapped around his waist so the Coast Guard didn't see it.

After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise.

"Wow… we really screwed up." Gohan stated. Annabeth glared at him with pressed lips, but didn't say anything. Percy didn't say anything either, because he knew Gohan was right. They had made that whole journey to the Underworld, but achieved practically nothing. He felt as if he'd just come back from the dead—which he had. His backpack was heavy with Zeus's master bolt. His heart was even heavier from seeing his mother. Then the weight vanished from his back, and he whirled to see Gohan holding the container with Zeus' master bolt in it.

"So this is what everyone's going nuts about?" Gohan balanced the container on one hand. The case was glowing celestial bronze, with the bolt inside. It looked like a small version of a lightning bolt, crackling and glowing inside the container. Sparks shot off the bolt and bounced off the container. Annabeth gaped.

"Cool…" Gohan put a finger to the glass. Instantly, several sparks shot off the bolt and collided at the point where his finger was.

"GOHAN! Put that back right now!" she roared, startling him. He yelped as it slipped from his hands, causing the others to gasp in horror. Gohan managed to quickly grab it before it hit the ground.

"Phew! Way too close!" Gohan grinned as he held it up.

"Put it. In the bag. Right. Now." She ordered. Gohan frowned.

"Aw."

"Now!" she demanded. Gohan groaned as he dropped the bolt in the bag, causing Annabeth to winch.

"Have you lost your mind? That is NOT a toy!" she roared. Gohan shrugged.

"I was curious!" he protested.

"I'M NOT IN THE MOOD, GOHAN!" she roared, causing all the guys to cringe.

"Yikes." Gohan gulped. But, Annabeth was on a roll.

"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick," Percy said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?" he asked.

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah. I get it."

"Well, I don't!" Grover complained. "Would somebody—"

"Percy . . ." Annabeth said. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry. . . ."He pretended not to hear her. If he talked about his mother, he was going to start crying like a little kid. Gohan patted his shoulder.

"It's okay, buddy! We'll get her back!" Percy glared at Gohan for a minute, but sighed as he lowered his head.

"The prophecy was right," Percy said. "'You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades' helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it." Gohan scratched his head.

"Ummm… what about me? I still don't have my memory back!" Gohan snapped. Annabeth glared at him.

"Well, we're not done with this quest yet, Gohan. And we've learned a lot more about you already. Looks like I was right!" she beamed. Percy and Gohan frowned.

"About what?" Percy asked.

"Gohan being from a parallel Earth. Hades said it!" Gohan frowned.

"We don't know what to think at the moment. Besides, we've got bigger problems at the moment. Like the guy who set all this up." Percy stated.

Grover shook his head, mystified. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?"

Percy stopped in his tracks, looking down the beach. "Gee, let me think."

There he was, waiting for them, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlight turning the sand red.

"Hey, kids," Ares said, seeming genuinely pleased to see them. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me," Percy said. "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned. "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power —that's a big no-no. But you're not the only her o in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice." Percy asked. Gohan frowned at that.

"I don't think so. She didn't act like she stole those things. Who'd you use?" Gohan asked.

The idea seemed to amuse him. "Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Under world. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this . . ."

From his pocket he took out a ski cap—the kind bank r obber s wear —and placed it between the handlebar s of his bike. Immediately, the cap transfor med into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped. Gohan blinked.

"I thought it'd be bigger." Ares snorted.

"Idiot," Ar es said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

Ares sh ugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"That's true." Gohan suddenly spoke up, getting shocked stares from Gohan and Annabeth.

"Seriously?" Gohan blinked.

"I have no idea why I said that." Percy glared at him before looking back at Ares.

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy said. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?" Getting silence as a response, he continued.

"Anyway," Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Under wor ld. You get close to Hades. . . . Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way—no loss. I still had the weapon." Gohan laughed at that.

"Wow, I didn't think you were that smart." Ares snarled at Gohan.

"But why not just keep the master bolt for your self ?" Percy said. "Why send it to Hades?"

"Why are you giving him that idea?" Gohan groaned

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head. "Why didn't I . . . yeah . . . with that kind of firepower . . ."

He held the trance for one second . . . two seconds. . . . Percy exchanged nervous looks with Annabeth and Gohan.

Ares's face cleared. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught redhanded, holding the thing."

"You're lying," Percy said. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!" Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," Percy guessed. "Someone else sent a her o to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another her o could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around." That was clearly offensive to Ares, because it completely set him off.

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!" Ares hesitated. Percy grinned.

"Who said anything about dreams?"Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal." Gohan clenched his fists.

Ares snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin seven at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at them with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

"Okay, not good." Ares grinned.

"Why don't you fight us like a real man!" Gohan yelled. Ares sneered.

"I'm a god, kid, not a man. Besides, I can't fight a hero directly. Ancient laws and all that. I'll let this pet kill you, then take the bolt for myself." He sneered. Then, the boar let out a loud reet and charged. This time, Percy took the initiative. Lighting fast, he uncapped Riptide and swung, cutting one of the tusks off.

"Bad pig!" Gohan yelled as he punched the pig on the side, sending it flying into the surf.

"Wave!" Percy gestured. A massive wave shot out of the sea and enveloped the boar, smashing it to dust.

"IS that the best you've got? I bet Aphrodite would put up a better fight!" Gohan called out.

"Damn!" Grover grinned. Ares sneered.

"Talk about my girlfriend again, I dare you!" Percy snarled as he pointed at Ares with Riptide.

"Fight us yourself, Ares!" Or are you a coward?" the god snarled. Ares's face was purple with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into—"

"Oh, will you just shut up? Blah, blah, blah! Come on, I thought you were a god of war, not a god of flapping your mouth." Gohan called out.

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot." Ares hissed.

"The only one going down is you!" Percy countered. Gohan grinned.

"Two on one?" Gohan whispered. Percy nodded.

"If we lose, turn us into anything you want. Take the bolt. If we win, the helm and the bolt are ours and you have to go away."

Ares sneered.

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy showed him his sword. Gohan cracked his fists.

"That's cool, dead boy," he said. "Classic it is." The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a la ge silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy, Gohan" Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a god." "He's a coward," Percy told her.

"He's about to go down." Gohan added

She swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off her necklace, with her five years' worth of camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around Percy's neck.

"Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together." Percy's face felt a little warm, but he managed a smile. "Thanks." Then, she turned towards Gohan.

"Here." She pulled out her knife and flipped the blade so that the handle was facing him.

"I cant take that!" he protested. Annabeth shook her head firmly.

"Take it. You should at least have a weapon." Gohan looked reluctant, but slowly nodded as he took the knife from Annabeth and slid it into the side of his pants.

"And take this," Gr over said. He handed both of them each a flattened tin can that he'd probably been saving in

his pocket for a thousand miles. "The satyrs stand behind you."

"Grover . . . I don't know what to say." Percy said.

"Ummm… sorry for acting like a jerk." Gohan said, causing the satyr to smile.

He patted Gohan on the shoulder. They stuffed the tin can in their back pockets

.

"You all done saying good-bye?" Ares came toward them, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, kids. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?" Percy glanced at Gohan.

"Now would be a real time to get pissed off and go gold." Goha nodded. He grunted as he clenched his fists… but nothing happened.

"Seriously?" Percy hissed. Gohan snarled and clenched his fists,

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Gohan shot forward and slammed his fist into Ares' face before leaping up and kicking him across the head. However, Ares didn't budge.. He simply smirked before lashing out and smacking Gohan across the chest with his right arm, sending him tumbling across the ground.

"Gohan!" Percy charged. The water seemed to push him into the air and catapulted over him, slashing as Percy came down. But Ares was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should've caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his swor d hilt.

He gr inned. "Not bad, not bad." Ares slashed again and charged at Percy, but suddenly let out a roar of pain and stumbled forward, smoke rising from his back. He whirled with rage to see Gohan, his hand raised with a smirk on his face..

"You little!" Ares snarled.

"MASENKO HA!" Gohan roared as he raised his hands and fired, shooting a large yellow beam at Ares. The god simply snickered before the blast hit him, sending smoke and sand flying in all directions. Gohan grinned as he lowered his hands.

"How'd you like that, you dumbass?" he called out. A panting made him turn to see Percy run up to him, panting as he gripped his sword.

"Nice shot." He panted. Gohan nodded.

"No way that's all it takes." Percy nodded.

"I think this might be a little trickier than we thought." The smoke parted, revealing Ares, who looked amused.

"Is that seriously the best you can do? Some light tricks? I can't believe my kids lost to you brats!" Ares grinned as he strode forward.

"We need a new plan." Percy nodded. His ADHD was in full battle mode, and he was taking in every detail. His mind was working overtime, trying to create a strategy.

"Distract him. I'll come up behind him and cut him in the back." Gohan nodded.

"GO!" Gohan shot straight towards Ares while Percy leaped towards the surf. He slammed he fist across Ares' face. However, Ares simply looked at Gohan.

"Uh oh." Gohan said with eyes. Ares whirled and slammed the handle of his sword across Gohan's face, knocking him into the sand. Then, Ares turned with his shield, blocking Percy's strike with a loud clang.

"Man, you kids are pathetic." Ares stomped on Gohan's chest, causing him to yell. Ares sneered.

"Man, Clarisse must be more pathetic than I thought if she lost to chumps like you." Ares laughed. Gohan grunted as he struggled to get loose from under Ares' foot.

"That's where you're WRONG!" Gohan roared as a golden glow enveloped him.

"What?" Ares thundered. Gohan grabbed Ares' foot and twisted, sending the god smashing to the ground. Gohan leaped to his feet and swung towards Ares' head, but the god rolled out of the way, which was surprising, given the god's size.

"Now, this is interesting." Ares observed as he climbed to his feet.

"Leave now." Gohan ordered as he stood next to Percy, surrounded by a golden flame. Percy looked at Gohan with a face of awe. He would never get used to see Gohan like this. Everything was different. His hair, his eyes, his attitude.

"Wow." Was all he could say. But, Ares simply laughed as he twirled his sword.

"Percy, let me take this one." Percy frowned as he looked at Gohan. However, they were interrupted by a peal of laughter from Ares.

"You think changing your hair and a few special effects is going to make a difference, kid?" Gohan instantly shot forward and slammed his fist across the god's face. This time, Ares slid back several inches. Gohan followed up with several more rapid punches to his face, and a kick across the chest, sending the god crashing to the ground.

"Yeah!" Grover cheered from behind Annabeth.

"Actually, yes. I think it will." Gohan answered. Ares slowly rose from the sand. He turned back towards Gohan, and slid off his shades, revealing the orange flames underneath.

"Not bad, kid. You've got a lot more power than you're letting on." Ares grinned as his eyes blazed. Gohan smirked as he crossed his arms. Then, lightning fast, Ares shot forward and swung his sword in an arch of steel. Gohan leaped back and flipped onto the ground. Then, a trickle of blood slid down Gohan's cheek, from a newly made slash. He blinked and then wiped the blood from his face.

"But you're a long way from my level." Ares finished. Gohan glared.

"Let's settle this, then." Gohan shot forward at Ares, who whirled and smashed his shield across Gohan's face, sending him tumbling into the sand.

"Gohan!" Annabeth gasped as she covered her mouth.

"That the best you can do?" Ares taunted as he stood above Gohan, who wasn't moving. Percy snarled as he gripped his sword. Ares grinned as he raised his sword. Then, Gohan whirled on the ground

"Nope!" Then, he plunged Annabeth's blade straight into Ares' right eye. The scream that erupted from Ares was almost deafening. He stumbled back, roaring with pain. He looked up with rage, Annabeth's knife sticking out of his right eye. As they watched, he slowly reached up and grasped the knife. Then, with a roar, he ripped the blade out of his eye, dropping it on the sand. He looked up with rage as he covered his right eye. Gold ichtor dripped through his fingers. His left eye, on the other hand, was smoking.

"YOU LITTLE!" then, Ares let out a scream of disbelief and rage as he arched and stumbled. Gohan saw Percy standing behind Ares with his sword raised, and a clear slash in the god's back, which was oozing ichtor.

"YOU BRATS!" Ares roared as he swung around with lightning speed, hitting Percy in the side, sending him tumbling into the sand.

"PERCY!" Gohan yelled before shooting forward towards Ares. But, the god was ready this time, even with a bad eye. He roared as he hurled his sword at Gohan. His eyes widened, and he twisted to the side just in time to see the sword flash right by him, smashing to the ground. But then, Gohan cried in pain as he crashed to the ground, clutching his chest. The sword had opened a large gash on his chest. He moaned as he held himself, blood dripping through his orange shirt.

"NO!" Annabeth cried with a horrified expression. Percy looked horrified while Ares laughed.

"One down, one to go!" Ares sneered as he turned towards Percy.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "Cops!"

Percy was seeing double. His chest felt like it had just been hit with a battering ram, but he managed to get to my feet.

He couldn't look away from Ares for fear he'd slice him in half, but out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw red lights flashing on the shoreline boulevard. Car doors were slamming.

"There, officer!" somebody yelled. "See?"

A gruff cop voice: "Looks like those kids on TV ... what the heck ..."

"That guy's armed," another cop said. "Call for backup."

"Is that kid on fire? Looks like he's glowing gold." a third asked.

"Percy rolled to one side as Ares's blade slashed the sand. He ran for his sword, scooped it up, and launched a swipe at Ares's face, only to find his blade deflected again.

Ares seemed to know exactly what I was going to do the moment before I did it.

I stepped back toward the surf, forcing him to follow.

"Admit it, kid," Ares said. "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you. Your friend was way stronger than you, and looked what happened to him." Ares gestured at Gohan, still kneeling on the ground.

He could see where Ares was tensing. He could tell which way he would strike. At the same time, he was aware of Annabeth and Grover, thirty feet to his left, and Gohan, who was kneeling in the sand clutching his chest. He saw a second cop car pulling up, siren wailing. Spectators, people who had been wandering the streets because of the earthquake, were starting to gather. Among the crowd, he thought he saw a few who were walking with the strange, trotting gait of disguised satyrs. There were shimmering forms of spirits, too, as if the dead had risen from Hades to watch the battle. Even worse, he heard the flap of leathery wings circling somewhere above.

More sirens.

He tried to sprint for the water, but Ares was fast. The tip of his blade ripped his sleeve and grazed his forearm.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns.' Set them on the ground. Now!" There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on us.

"This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed. "Be gone!"

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming. Then, Ares looked at Percy with a sneer on his face.

"Shall we?" he grinned.

"Argh!" Gohan grunted as he clutched his chest. All he could hear and feel was the pain in his chest and the throbbing in his head. The world swam in front of his face.

"Damn it!" Gohan grunted as his glow vanished. His head felt like it was throbbing like crazy, thoughts and images bouncing around in his head.

"Gohan!" Annabeth cried. Gohan groaned. His name continued to echo in his head, with what seemed like a thousand different voices.

"Stop it!" He cried as he clutched his head. Then, all the voices stopped in an instant.

"Gohan." Gohan opened his eyes and gasped. Sitting on the sand in front of him, was a head. But not just any head. This head was that of a man with red hair.

"Wha? Who are…" the head blinked at him.

"You know who I am, Gohan." The head spoke calmly. Without thinking, the name came to him instantly.

"Android 16." The head smiled.

"Hello, Gohan." He said. Gohan tried to talk, but made a squeaking noise.

"But, you're…" Gohan shook his head as the sound of swords clashed.

"You can't be here… you can't be real! You're… dead!" Android 16's head simply looked at him.

"Gohan… you need to let it go." Gohan stiffened.

"I can't… I don't remember!" the head frowned.

"You must let go of your fear, Gohan. That is why you cannot remember." Gohan frowned in confusion.

"You unleashed your power before, and now, you are afraid of it. You were afraid that your power will take control once again. So, your mind blocked the memories. But nly you can restore your memory, Gohan. Let your power go free, and you will become whole again." Gohan trembled as his fists clenched in the sand.

"I…" he croaked as tears slid down his cheeks. Android 16 smiled.

"Gohan, I… understand your reluctance. You are gentle. You do not like to hurt. But, this being, this god… he cannot be reasoned with. He has no remorse, and he would gladly see this world come to ruin. But this world… you care for it. You care for this world, even though it is not your own. You care for the people, and the animals. Now, they need you. This world… needs you." Gohan whimpered as his hair shimmered.

"I… can't do it again. I failed." Android 16 smiled at Gohan.

"Gohan, you have already saved one world. Now you can save this one. Don't be afraid, Gohan. Remember who you are. You… are a hero." A large wave smashed on the shore, drenching the sand in water. When the sand receded… Android 16 was gone. Gohan stared at the spot where the head had sat. Then… he snapped. He let out an animalistic roar as he arched back, power coursing through every inch of his body. Memories shot though him like electricity.

"Pathetic, boy!" Raditz laughed

"Get up and stop crying!" Piccolo snapped

"Well well, what do we have here?" Vegeta grinned. Nappa roared with laugher.

"You're nothing compared to the mighty Nappa!"

"We are the Ginyu Focre!

"NOW YOU PAY! YOU VILE FILTH SUCKING MAGGOTS! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED MY PATH! PREPARE YOURSELF TO EMBRACE OBLIVION!" Frieza screamed

"Now you will face a true super saiyan!" Vegeta laughed.

"I am the ultimate terror!" Cell grinned.

"Goodbye, Gohan." Goku smiled

Gohan let out a loud cry as he stumbled back.

"I remember… I REMEMBER EVERYTHING!" He let out an animalistic cry as he arched back. Gohan screamed in ferocity and wrath, this time even more deadly. Ares and Percy stopped and turned in confusion.

"What the?" Ares snapped

Gohan's aura flashed with a brilliant golden energy, growing and growing with every second of his screaming. Sand began to circle him, and electricity generated all around him, sparking into the air. But it didn't stop there. Lighting flashed in the sky, illuminating the warrior. Gohan's muscles grew in size, his chest also getting more muscular, his hair began to stand up even more as the ground shook. More and more electricity circled Gohan, until several rings of electricity formed a sphere around his aura. The ground rumbled like an earthquake, and electricity began to surround Gohan, melding into a giant sphere of electricity and golden light. The sand whipped around in a massive tornado.

"LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!" Gohan screamed. Them, Gohan let out one final massive roared as he thrust out his arms, sending out a massive shock wave in a gigantic display of wind, lightening, and energy, spraying sand in all directions. Every window in a mile shattered, spraying the streets with glass.

"Incredible…" Ares said with a look of disbelief as the wave shot over him and Percy, and then Annabeth and Grover, sending them flying.

"By Olympus!" Athena looked up from her book.

"Whoa, that was trippy!" Apollo said with wide eyes as he quickly regained control of the sun chariot.

"My lady? Are thou alright?" Zoë asked as she walked up to Artemis, who had a numb look on her face.

"Hang on, Dementer. Yes, I felt that too. What was that?" Hermes frowned as he looked around, a hand on his phone.

"I don't know." Martha hissed.

"Maybe it was a rat." George added

"You think everything is a rat!" Martha countered.

"Will you two stop?" Hermes snapped.

Annabeth let out a loud gasp as she burst out of a large dune, spitting sand out of her mouth.

"Grover!" she cried as she looked around. Then, a muffled yelling made her turn to see a pair of hooves kicking in the air. She raced over to him and managed to pull him free.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Grover gasped as he shook the sand out of his fur. He nodded.

"What happened?" he asked. Annabeth's eyes grew as wide as saucers, and her jaw dropped.

"He did." she pointed. Grover followed her gaze and gaped. The smoke slowly faded, revealing Gohan. Needless to say, he was different. His golden aura hissed menacingly as it waved in the wind like fire. Static electricity jumped off of him almost numerous times within a second, blue electricity dancing all over his body. His hair stood up all the way, the spikes dangling in the wind around him as he stood there silently. Emerald eyes glared at the god of war, narrowed to slits. His power was inconceivable. Even the heavens above and those below could feel it grow.

"I can never forgive you for what you've done!" Gohan roared. Sparks shot off him into the ground, exploding on impact.

"Holy gods." Percy said with awe.

The prophecy had come true. Gohan was finally whole. The Ascended Super Saiyan had arisen again.

 **At long last, Gohan has regained his memory! It is a secret we have known since the moment Gohan arrived in this world. Through fights with Medusa, the Chimera, and even Hades, we've caught glimpses of Gohan's explosive power! But like an explosion it always vanished with the moment. He couldn't restore himself, and he couldn't become the true warrior he has always been, until now. At last the beastly power has been harassed, and Gohan has reawaken! And now, he has set his sights on the treacherous God of War.**

 **Now Ares will battle a warrior unlike anything this world has ever seen before, one eleven years in the making. Tune in next time, to the next exciting chapter of Gohan and the Lightning Thief!**


	20. Battle of Gods: The Warm-Up Round

**Hey fans! I know you've all been ready for this, and here we go! Time for Gohan to go all out! After some consideration and review, that cameo was a mistake. It was very funny, but it ruined the tone of the story. I had just seen the film, so that was all kind of bouncing around in my head. Sorry. Now, here's the real, originally planned, battle. Btw, I used the Bruce Falconer fight music for this in my head.**

The air was completely silent, expect for the pop and crackle of the electricity dancing around Gohan. Ares snarled as he narrowed his eye.

"You think just because you're a god, you can do whatever you want? Your days of causing pain are over!" Gohan roared. Then, he began walking forward. Ares gnashed his teeth as Gohan stopped in front of him. Percy stared in disbelief. Gohan was completely different, even more than before. His muscles had swelled, and he had gained several inches. Gohan silently looked up at the god, who glared down at him with a look of rage as sparks continued to dance around him. Ares laughed.

"Boy, you never learn! You think puffing your hair up and adding some sparks will make a difference? I'm Ares, the god of war!" Gohan was silent.

"Can it!" Ares looked surprised.

"You little!" Ares swung at Gohan, but the sayian vanished before Ares' sword even made contact.

"What?" Ares blinked his one good eye in confusion, before whirling and letting out a roar of confusion. Gohan was standing next to Ares' motorcycle. In one swift motion. He yanked Hades' helm off the bike and punched the bike, shattering it into thousands of pieces.

"Nice!" Grover cheered while Annabeth's jaw dropped another inch. Then, Gohan vanished again, this time reappearing on the now deserted street. Gohan looked up and held up the Helm of Darkness. A second later, he heard the flapping of leathery wings. Three evil-looking grandmothers with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of him, one in front and one on each side of him. The middle Fury, the one who had been Mrs. Dodds, stepped forward cautiously. Her fangs were bared, but for once she didn't look threatening. She looked more disappointed, as if she'd been planning to have him for supper, but had decided he might give her indigestion.

"We saw the whole thing," she hissed. "So ... it truly was not Jackson?" he tossed her the helmet, which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades," Gohan said. "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war." She hesitated, then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. Her sisters snarled.

"And tell him to let Percy's mother go. He has no use for her. Let her go or else." The Furies all hissed with rage.

"Or what, Trespasser?" Ms. Dodds snarled. Gohan's left arm flew out, smashing the Fury on the left, punching her head off. She instantly vaporized into dust. He then whirled at the other Fury and kicked her in half, causing her to disintegrate instantly. Ms. Dobbs let out a loud screech as she flapped her wings and fell several steps back. Gohan slowly turned and glared at her.

"That." He stated. Sparks danced over him as he glared at her. She hissed for a long moment before slowly nodding her head.

Then she rose on her wings, fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, and disappeared. Percy blinked, but Ares looked livid.

"BOY! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Ares roared. Gohan floated to the ground silently, and then gripped the side of a burning cop car. Then, he whirled and hurled the car straight at Ares.

"Whoa!" Percy yelled as he leaped as far as he could. Ares dodged as well, rolling out of the way. The car hit the sand and exploded, shooting out fire and sand. Ares snarled as he rose.

"WHERE ARE YOU NOW, YOU LITTLE!" he stopped when he saw Gohan… standing right in front of him. Ares let out several indistinguishable noises as he glared at Gohan, who simply looked back at him.

"You brat, you ruined everything!" Then, he took several deep breaths, and smiled. Percy groaned as Grover pulled him out of a sand pile.

"Are you okay?" Percy nodded. Annabeth had wide fish-eyes and was making babbling noises.

"He threw the car! He's…he's amazing!" she squeaked.

"So, Corpse Breath's out. No matter, a two way battle's still good." Ares laughed. Gohan glared at him.

"Shut up!" Gohan snapped. Ares blinked in surprise, before smiling again.

"I'm going to teach you some respect, boy!" Gohan snarled, and then charged at Ares.

"FOOL!" Ares laughed as he swung right through Gohan. But, his elation quickly turned to confusion when Gohan passed right though the sword and then Ares, vanishing into air.

"An illusion." Ares trailed off when he turned and saw Gohan floating in the air several feet above him. He snarled as Gohan floated towards the ground.

"Are parlor tricks all you're capable of, boy? If I wanted that, I'd go to Hecate! Come on, what happened to all that bravado?" Gohan sneered.

"Why don't you come and find out?" Ares had a look of pure rage on his face. He was literally starting to glow. Then, he charged with a massive roar. Gohan effortlessly dodged the strike. Ares didn't falter, continuing with a lightning barrage of sword strikes and moves. Gohan weaved through them all.

Percy gaped as he watched the battle. Gohan was amazing. Ares couldn't even touch him. Then, Gohan bounced back and swung at Ares, who ducked back. Now, Gohan went on the offensive, launching into an array of punches and strikes against the war god, who was able to dodge Gohan's strikes. Then, Gohan leaped back several feet and charged at him with his fist raised. Ares brought up his shield. Gohan slammed his fist into the shield, sending out a massive shock wave.

"Nnngh!" Percy grunted as he slid back several feet and blinked sand out of his eyes. Grover groaned as he dusted sand out of his fur. As the smoke faded, Ares blinked in surprise. Gohan pulled his fist back, making a loud grinding noise. Ares stared at the fist mark in his shield. Gohan sneered as sparks danced around him.

"How about this? I'll just use my finger. That big enough for you?" Gohan grinned as he held up his index finger, just like he remembered his father had done with Future Trunks. Then, his finger sparked and was surrounded by a mini gold aura and blue sparks.

"Has he lost his mind?!" Percy squawked. Grover shuddered as he gripped Percy's arms.

"Insubordinate brat! I will teach you proper respect!" Ares leaped at Gohan with his sword raised, and smashed his sword against Gohan's finger… who didn't budge in the slightest. Ares looked stunned. He grunted as he pushed, but Gohan still didn't move.

"No… way…" Annabeth gaped. Ares backed up, and then lunged again in a flurry of strikes. Gohan's arm moved like lightning, blocking the strikes with amazing precision. Then, Gohan's arm shot up and grabbed the god's sword arm. Gohan let out a massive roar as he pulled Ares towards him and kicked him clean across the face, sending him tumbling across the sand. Ares looked up just in time for Gohan's fist to slam into his face, smashing the god into the ground.

"Nice!" Percy grinned. Ares staggered to his feet and slowly turned, golden blood dripping down his mouth.

"FORGET A COCKAROACH! I'M GOING TO SNAP YOU INTO PIECES!" he roared as he whirled, fire shooting out his eyes like a flamethrower.

"PREPARE TO!"

BAM! Ares stopped instantly with a look of shock on his face. He slowly looked down to see Gohan's fist buried in his stomach. The god buckled forward with a shocked gurgle, falling to his knees. Percy gaped.

"Just so you know, that was for taking the bolt." Ares gasped as he staggered to his feet.

"You little!" Ares lunged for Gohan, but he vanished. Then, Gohan's foot slammed into the back of Ares' face, knocking the god forward into the sand. Gohan flipped several times through the air, landing several feet away. Ares whirled as flames shot of his eyes.

"Damn you!" he screamed as he leaped at Gohan. The saiyan whirled in the air and side-kicked the god clean across the chest, causing him to bounce across the ground. He bounced off a dune and leaped into the air

"That was for framing Percy!" Then, Gohan sprinted forward. The god landed on his feet and roared as he raised his sword, which morphed into a large spear.

"Now you'll pay!" Ares roared as he raised his spear. Red electricity sparked from the blade. Then, he thrust the spear at Gohan, firing off a large red burst of electricity.

"Gohan! Get out of the way!" Annabeth cried. But, the super saiyan simply smirked.

"Seriously?" then, he let out a loud cry as the lightning slammed into him, erupting into a loud explosion.

"Hah!" Ares grinned as he landed on the ground. The smoke faded, revealing Gohan, standing in the same spot, without a scratch.

"WHAT?" Ares roared in disbelief.

"No way!" Percy gaped. Then, Gohan smirked and vanished. Ares looked around in confusion.

"Show yourself, coward!" the god roared.

"Boo." His eyes shot open and whirled to see Gohan standing behind him. He was so surprised that he stumbled back.

"Scared?" Gohan smirked. Ares let out a roar of rage as he clenched his fists. A golden light shimmered in the air and surrounded Ares. Then, the god erupted in golden light.

"Don't look!" Annabeth cried. When the light faded, it revealed Ares, panting with a look of triumph. Then, the smoke faded, revealing Gohan, who was standing right in front of him. He let out a scream of rage as he swung his fist at Gohan, who simply caught the god's fist. Then, Gohan buried his fist into the god's stomach.

"This is for Percy's mother!" he slammed his fist up the God's chin, sending the god sliding back. He bucked onto his knees, gasping as he spat out golden blood and weakly tried to stand. He looked at Gohan with a look of disbelief, who was still glowing, blue sparks dancing off him.

"This is for having dick kids like Clarisse!" Gohan slammed his elbow into the god's face, causing him to stumble back as golden ichtor gushed from the nose. Then, Gohan grabbed Ares by his jacket. Then, he shot into the air, carrying the stunned god into the sky.

"He can fly? He can do that now?" Grover asked with disbelief. Percy and Annabeth just stared. Ares roared as he tried to punch Gohan, but he didn't even seem to feel it as they floated in the sky. Lightning erupted around them, but Gohan ignored it all.

"AND THIS IS FOR ALL THE TIMES WE NEARLY DIED!" Gohan roared as he hurled the god down. Ares shot through the sky like a meteor, slamming into the ground.

"Ouch!" Percy winched. After a minute, the god's arm shot out of the sand, and Ares staggered to his feet. He groaned as he whirled to see Gohan land on the ground with a smirk on his face. Ares gritted with rage as golden blood dripped down his mouth.

"This is impossible! He's just a brat! A mortal brat! I am the god of war! I have fought for over three millennia! I cannot be beaten!" Ares thought with rage coursing through his body. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Gohan. He trembled with rage as he clutched his side.

"No one has ever wounded me like this! How? He only landed a few punches! He can't be this powerful! He can't be!" he glared at Gohan. Then, Gohan leaped back several feet, causing the god to stare in confusion.

"Try this one, Ares." Gohan let out an animalistic roar as he charged straight at the god. The god sneered as he held up his shield. Then, Gohan's body was surrounded by golden light, until it formed a gold and blue sphere. The sphere smashed into Ares, sending the god flying into the air and into the street, smashing into a parked car with a loud explosion. Gohan sneered as he floated into the air and landed in front of the burning car. Thankfully, the street was deserted. Then, Ares emerged from the flames with a livid expression. His clothes were singed, and his hair was matted… and he was pissed. He staggered forward with a furious expression.

"Oh, you're really going to get it now, punk!" Ares roared

"Oh really? I thought we were still warming up." Gohan asked with a bored look. Ares looked livid.

"Warming… up?" he asked with a look of disbelief. Gohan slowly nodded.

"Have you actually been trying?" Gohan asked curiously. Ares had veins popping out of his head.

"Oh no, kid! You have no idea what a god is truly capable of! But… I'm going to show you." Then, Ares let out a loud roar as he started to glow. He began to grow. As he grew, his entire appearance changed. His biker attire was replaced by black Greek armor, and his injuries faded. Gohan looked up as Ares roared with laughter. Now, the god stood over fifteen feet tall, and was clothed in black Greek armor. His sword gleamed in the fire, and both his eyes glowed red with fire. He grinned as he looked down at Gohan.

"Round two, punk!" Ares howled with laughter.

 **Like all that? Is this version more better? I hope you all like it! The real fight's about to start! Review please!**


	21. Battle of Gods: Round Two

**Ready? Don't worry, you won't be disappointed by what you see! Get ready! Let the battle commence!**

Ares roared as he thrust his spear straight towards Gohan. The saiyan grunted as he shot into the air. The spear tip plowed into the ground, shooting out rubble in all directions. Gohan did a barrel flip, landing on the roof of a nearby building. Ares turned and let out a massive peal of laughter.

"So, boy, what do you think?" Ares mocked. Gohan frowned

"Is that all you've got?" he asked. Ares looked surprised for a minute before smiling.

"Insignificant little brat! I am an immortal god! I cannot be killed, and I cannot be defeated!" Ares roared.

"Well, there's a first time for everything." Ares gritted his teeth as he raised his sword. Gohan flipped through the air just before Ares' sword slammed into the building, slicing the top of the building, sending it falling to the ground with a massive crash, sending out dust in all directions. Gohan grabbed the crumbling edge of the building and hurled it at Ares. The block smashed into the god's face, exploding into dust and cinder. Ares roared as he stumbled back, coughing dust out of his face.

"HEY!" Gohan roared. Ares looked down to see Gohan at his feet. The god smirked.

"I'm going to stomp you like the gnant like you are!" Ares roared as he raised his foot. Gohan simply smirked. He leaped to the side as the god's foot came down, smashing into the pavement. He leaped up the god's leg and smashed his fist across Ares' knee, which made a loud crack and twisted in the opposite direction. Ares roared in pain and stumbled, falling on his knees. Gohan roared as he pushed off Ares' leg and rocketed up, slamming his head straight into Ares' chin. The god's head snapped back like a whip, echoing with a loud crack. He fell back with a loud crash, his head slamming into the back of a large truck, which erupted into a fireball.

"Nice!" Percy pumped his fist.

"Ouch." Grover winched. Gohan slowly floated down and landed on the god's chest.

"That all you got?" Then, Ares' hands shot out and slammed around Gohan with a loud clap. The god roared with laughter as he pressed his hands together.

"HAH! NOW YOU'LL LEARN!" Ares roared with laughter.

"GOHAN!" Annabeth gasped in horror. She sprinted across the sand and grabbed her knife.

"Whoa, wait a minute! What do you think you're doing?" Grover protested.

"We can't leave him alone!" Annabeth protested before sprinting towards the street. Ares roared with laughter as he kept his hands clenched. The god sat up with a smile and climbed to his feet.

"Arrogant brat! I warned you what would happen to those who humiliate a god!" Ares laughed, causing the ground to shake. Then, a golden beam shot between his fingers, causing the god's eyes to widen. Then, his hands shook. The god snarled as he pressed his hands together. An animalistic roar erupted as the god's hands flew apart, bathing him in a bright, golden light. Ares roared as he stumbled back. When the light faded, Gohan slowly floated towards the ground.

"Let me show you what I can really do!" Then, Gohan shot off the ground. He slammed into the god's stomach, causing him to gasp in surprise as he slid back, slamming into a glass building. It shattered, showering the street with broken shards. Gohan then took off into the air, his hands glowing yellow. He launched an array of ki blasts, hitting the god straight on. Ares roared in rage as he tried to swat Gohan. The blasts themselves weren't hurting the god, they were more of a distraction. Ares roared with rage as he tried to swat Gohan. However, Gohan would simply vanish , reappear on another rooftop, and fire another ki blast. Ares tried to attack him, but he would vanish before Ares could hit him.

"Annabeth!" Percy hissed as she dove behind a parked car. The slid next to her and watched the battle with wide eyes.

"We shouldn't be this close!" They winched as they ducked to avoid a stream of dust and derbis. As Annabeth watched with wide eyes, she let out a surprised gasp.

"I get it!" Annabeth exclaimed. Percy and Grover stared at her.

"Ares is too big! He may be stronger now, but he can't hit Gohan! He's too little and quick!" she explained. She groaned in annoyance at the confused looks on their faces. Ares roared with rage as a blast exploded on the side of his head, sending up smoke off the side of his helmet.

"Power and strength are nothing if you can't hit your opponent!" Annabeth snapped.

"Ohhhhh…" Percy said with wide eyes. Annabeth groaned.

"Idiot!" Then, they cringed as the ground shook again.

"Damn you!" Ares roared as flames shot out of his eyes. Gohan smirked as he easily dodged the fire bursts.

"Give it up, Ares! You'll never catch me! Not at that size!" Gohan leaped at the god's face.

"SOLAR FLARE!" Gohan roared as he thrust his hands in front of his face. A bright light erupted from his hands, blinding Ares. He roared with rage as he covered his eyes. Then, Gohan dashed alongside the street and grabbed several streetsigns and lampposts. He whirled and hurled them at the god. They zipped by the god and embedding them into the side of a glass skyscraper.

"My eyes! My eyes! You little!" Gohan landed on top of a skyscraper and cupped his hands.

"Time to take care of this!" Gohan's aura exploded around him flared.

"Ka… Me…" A blue ball appeared in his cupped hands, glowing brighter by the minute. Ares hissed with rage as he lowered his hands.

"Where are you?" Ares roared.

"Ka… Me…" the light in Gohan's hands grew even brighter. Ares whirled to see Gohan. His eyes narrowed to slits.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" Ares roared as he raised his sword and charged at Gohan. But then, he roared in fonfusion when something yanked him off the ground, causing him to land on his rear.

"WHAT?" He looked behind him to see his cloak impaled to the skyscraper by the posts and signs that Gohan had hurled at him.

"HAAAAAAA!" Gohan roared as he thrust his hands forward. A massive blue blast shot from his hands, which illuminated the air as it flew straight towards the god. It smashed into the god's chest, sending him sliding down the street, until he smashed into the side of a skyscraper. Gohan thrust his hands up, causing the beam to change trajectory. The god roared with rage as the beam pushed him up the side of the building. The god screamed with rage as he flew into the sky, vanishing into the thunderstorm. Gohan smirked as he lowered his hands. A minute later, the sky lit up blue and his ears were almost deafened by the sound of a massive explosion, which was so powerful that cracks formed in several buildings, and lampposts flattened to the ground. A minute later, silence settled over the city. Gohan smiled.

"Gohan!" he turned to see Annabeth, Percy, and Grover rushed up to him, thought they kept their distance, looking at him nervously.

"Gohan?" Percy asked. Gohan slowly turned back and looked at them with a smirk. Percy kept a tight grip on his sword and looked at Gohan warningly, the woman's words still ringing in his head. Gohan looked different, to say the least. The scar over his eye was still there, but the blood had stopped. The same was with his chest. He didn't even look like he had been wounded. Then, Gohan smiled.

"I'm fine." Percy silently exhaled a deep sigh of relief.

"Dude… you're awesome!" Grover bleated. Annabeth nodded rapidly.

"Gohan… your hair! Your body! You're so… different!" Gohan chuckled as he looked back up.

"It's not over. Not yet." Percy looked confused.

"You just blew him into the sky with your freaky glowing hands!" Gohan looked at Percy with a baffled expression.

"That was a ki blast, Percy. One of my… many talents that I've recently remembered." Annabeth looked stunned.

"You mean…" Gohan smirked.

"Yes, Annabeth. My memory's back. I remember who I am... and how I got here." Percy and Grover looked surprised, but Annabeth smirked.

"About time. Start talking." Gohan laughed.

"Something funny?" She snarled. He chuckled as he shook his head.

"No, I do owe you guys all that. But, Ares isn't defeated yet. I'll tell you everything after."

"But, you just vaporized him!" Percy protested.

"Annabeth." Gohan said. She understood.

"You can't kill a god, Percy." Gohan looked at the sky. Then, the sound of whistling air reached their ears.

"There." Gohan pointed. The figure of Ares appeared in the sky and plummeted down, crashing into the beach

"There he is." Then, they watched as the massive god slowly shrank, until he was the size of a normal human, the same size as before.

"Time to finish this. I'm sending him to Tartarus." Gohan shot into the air, heading for the god.

"Come on!" Annabeth sprinted after him. Percy and Grover looked at each other, but reluctantly followed. Gohan smirked as he landed. The god looked… dead. His armor was scorched. His cape was gone, and his helmet had fallen off at some point. Golden ichtor leaked from his arms, legs, and face.

"Come on, get up. I know you're not dead." Gohan commented with a bored look as he crossed his arms. After a minute, the god let out a loud groan as he staggered to his feet and turned to look at Gohan, panting deeply as he wiped his mouth.

"You… DAMN YOU!" Ares roared with rage as he clenched his fists, shaking with pure, unleashed anger. Gohan simply frowned as sparks continued to dance around him.

"KILL YOU!" the god lunged forward. Gohan simply stepped to the side and kneed the god in the stomach, causing him to hiss.

"Give it up, Ares. You can't beat me." Gohan effortlessly dodged every move the god tried to do. After a few minutes of this, the god panted.

"Who… are you?" he gasped. Gohan simply smiled.

"Who am I? Man, it took me a while to figure that out." Gohan leaped over the god and kicked him across the face, causing him to stagger.

"I am what evil fears! A symbol of peace and justice!" Ares lunged, but Gohan simply caught the god's fist and clenched, causing him to roar in pain as he struggled to get loose. Then, Gohan thrust forward, sending the god sprawling. Then, Gohan roared as his aura blazed around him

"I AM THE ASCENDED SUPER SAIYAN, GOHAN SON!" Ares looked surprised. Gohan lunched forward and slammed his fists into the god's chest, sending him sliding across the ground.

"It's over, Ares. You lost. Time to finish this." Gohan slowly walked towards Ares, who backed up with wide eyes.

"No! NOOOO!" Then, Ares lunged, leaping past Gohan and tackling Percy, knocking him and the others to the ground. Ares ripped Percy's bag off his back and yanked out the master bolt. He smashed the top on the ground, and whirled with a mad expression, the bolt sparking in his hand.

"You've humiliated me for the last time, boy! I'll see you dead, no matter the cost!" Ares roared with insane laughter.

"Ares, don't do this!" Annabeth cried. The sky erupted with thunder and lightning.

"STAY OUT OF THIS, FATHER!" Ares cackled with laughter as the bolt crackled in his hand.

"I'm going to destroy you, boy! I'm going to turn you to ash!" the mad god grinned as he raised the crackling bolt.

"HIT THE DECK!" Grover roared as he leaped onto Percy and Annabeth, knocking them all to the ground. Percy yelped as he covered his face. Ares let out a hysterical roar as he whirled to face Gohan. Then. he hurled the bolt. The world exploded. Or, at least it seemed like it had. Percy looked up as the brilliant flash faded. And he could not believe what he saw. The smoke faded to reveal Gohan… holding the Master Bolt in his hand.

"That can't be… there's no way… no one except Zeus can…" Annabeth was making garbed mutters.

"NO! NO! IMPOSSIBLE!" Ares stepped back in disbelief as he stared at Gohan, with the master bolt sparking in his hand. Then, as they all watched, the master bolt began to glow yellow. It morphed in Gohan's hand, growing brighter by the second. A yellow flash exploded. When the light faded, everyone stared in disbelief. Now, a gleaming sword rested in Gohan's hand. The blade was three feet long and was solid gold, with ancient Greek carvings running the center of the blade. The hilt gleamed silver, with little jewels embedded in the hilt. Blue sparks danced around the blade, just like the ones around his aura.

"Oh… my… gods…" Annabeth said with her jaw on the floor. Grover fell on his knees in disbelief.

"No way." Gohan stared at the gleaming blade in his hand. IT felt… right. The sword felt perfectly balanced, and light. Then, he looked back at Ares.

"Okay. Time to finish this." Gohan smirked as he raised the sword, which crackled with power.

"You… no…" Ares snarled with rage as he raised his sword and roared with rage. Then, he sprinted at Gohan. The young saiyan smiled as he gripped the sword and charged. The two roared as they leaped at each other, their swords colliding with a loud clang. Gohan's sword sliced through Ares' blade like butter. The god roared in rage and disbelief as his severed blade embedded itself into the sand.

"DEAD!" Gohan whirled around Ares and brought his blade down as Ares turned to face him. It sliced clean through the god's elbow, severing the limb. Ares screamed in shock as he stumbled back, looking at his newly amputated limb, which was squirting gold ichtor. Gohan followed that up by slashing Ares clear across the face, leaving a scar across his face.

"That's for my face!" Gohan spat. Ares stumbled back and fell back in disbelief. Gohan strode towards him with a confident smirk, the sword sparking in his hands. Then, he roared as he shot forward and grabbed Ares by his chest. He smirked as he dug his feet into the ground, and glared Ares in the eye. Then, he launched into the air, moving so fast that a massive boom erupted a minute later.

"I think he just broke the sound barrier!" Annabeth gaped. Gohan laughed as he shot through the air, getting higher by the second. The sky changed from blue to black, until they shot through the atmosphere. Gohan turned and looked back over the Earth.

"Wow." Gohan's awe was interrupted by Ares kicking him in the stomach. Although, that only made Gohan more angry.

"Time to finish this." Gohan let go of Ares, letting him float in space. Then, he shot forward and slammed into Ares, sending them shooting straight down. The air around them grew orange, and the heat rose to an intense level. The air erupted around them with a massive boom, everything blurring around them. Ares roared as he punched Gohan in the face with his one remaining hand. Gohan punched the god right back, continuing to plummet through the sky like a rock.

"There they are!" Annabeth pointed in the sky, where an orange fireball was growing rapidly.

"Whoa." Percy stated. Then, the fireball slammed into the street, shaking the ground, and shattering every window in the city. The smoke faded to reveal a large crater, with Gohan standing in the center over a groaning Ares. He raised his sword over the god's chest.

"This ends now!" Gohan roared. Ares grunted as he slowly opened one eye. Then, he plunged the sword into the god's chest.

"NOOOOOO!" Electricity shot out of every inch of Ares' body, illuminating him like a lightbulb. His skeleton gleamed as he grew brighter by the second. Gohan covered his face. Then… Ares exploded, sending out a massive wave of electricity, causing the entire city to black out. The air was completely silent as the smoke faded. Annabeth coughed as she waved smoke out of her face. A second later, the sound of footsteps echoed, causing them all to blink.

"Gohan?" Then, she gasped. Gohan stepped out of the crater with a smile on his face, the gleaming sword/master bolt leaning on his right shoulder, and Ares' smoking jacket on his left shoulder. Gohan's gold aura vanished, and he transformed from SSJ2 to his normal, black hair, look.

"Man… I need something to eat." Gohan stated with a goofy grin on his face.

 **Like that? Man, that was a blast to write. Don't worry, this story's not over yet. And the sequel's already underway. Unfortunately, I may have to take a break between this book and the sequel to take care of some work. But don't worry, you're all going to have a blast!**


	22. The Gods Make a Decision

**Hey fans! I'm sorry it's been so long, but it's been busy. I finally had some free time, so I finished it. enjoy!**

Thankfully, the journey back ended up being much less difficult than the journey to Los Angeles. And on another point, the matter of the national manhunt for them ended up being much easier to fix than they thought. It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality. Chiron had told Percy that long ago. According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake. This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Percy and three other adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson wasn't an international criminal after all. He'd caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from his captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus-"Why didn't I remember him before?"). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police. Finally, brave Percy Jackson (Even Gohan was beginning to like this kid) had stolen a gun from his captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson and his three friends were safely in police custody. As for the golden haired boy, no one had seen him since the explosion. People were already making stories about him. Some had claimed that he was an accomplice of Ares, but others were stating that he was a hero who was fighting the kidnapper, and was already getting dubbed "The Golden Crusader (much to Gohan's embarrassment)

And as an added bonus, they attributed the damage to the city from Gohan's battle with Ares to a freak meteorite strike, which supposedly created an EMP pulse that knocked out the city's electricity. Thankfully, all the damage to the city could be repaired in due time. The reporters fed them this whole story. They just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which wasn't hard), and played victimized kids for the cameras. Gohan played the part especially well. It helped that the battle with Ares had left his clothes ripped, and he was a little bit exhausted, to say the least. Ascending into Super Saiyan 2, and carrying a god into outer space and then slamming him into the ground tended to take its toll on someone. But, Percy certainly did a excellent job of playing

"All I want," Percy said, choking back his fake tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew ... somehow ... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." It took everything Gohan had not to burst into laughter. The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for four tickets on the next plane to New York.

Percy knew there was no choice but to fly. He hoped Zeus would cut me some slack, considering the circumstances. But it was still hard to force himself on board the flight. Gohan tried to offer to fly them all to New York, but it was clear he was still pretty tired. So, that's how they found themselves scrunched into a row of plane seats.

"You look sick." Gohan commented. Percy was a bit green.

"And you still look like crap." Gohan frowned. Although the cuts had healed, the scars really hadn't healed. There was still a slice across his chest, and the one across his eye as well. Percy thought that Gohan looked like a badass. Once they were settled in, Annabeth whirled on Gohan.

"Time to talk." Gohan blinked at her.

"Annabeth, not now!" Percy winched, still a bit green as the plane shuddered.

"Oh no. I have been waiting for this for too damn long already. I have seen this guy fly, shoot beams out of his hands, turn gold, transform, and defeat the God of blasted War by himself! And since he has already has admitted he got his memory back, and since we have three hours to kill, I want an explanation now!" she snarled, with a gaze so fierce that the guys shuddered. Gohan smirked.

"Yeah, you're right, Annabeth. I do owe you that." Gohan paused.

"But… it's a long story." Annabeth simply crossed her arms as the seatbelt light flashed.

"Talk." They paused as the plane gained speed, and then shot into the air. It rumbled briefly, causing Percy to gulp. Once they were level, Gohan looked at Annabeth.

"I think I should start with saying that you were right. About the parallel earth thing." Annabeth looked surprised and triumphant, while Percy and Grover looked shocked.

"Talk." Annabeth repeated. Gohan chuckled as he settled back and rested his head. (For obvious reasons, I'm not going to waste several pages telling every detail

"Well… it kinda goes like this." Gohan started with the story of the saiyans, recalling what he had been told by Raditz and Vegeta. He continued then with the story of his father), one of the last saiyans, and then his own adventures, starting with Raditz, Piccolo's abduction of him, the saiyans, then his adventures on Planet Namek, Garlic Junior, Frieza's return and defeat by Future Trunks, the androids, and finally, Cell and the Cell Games.

"So... the last thing I remember after getting sucked into the vortex is falling and landing in the strawberry field. Then I remember seeing you before I passed out… and I guess you know all the rest." Gohan finished. Annabeth had a numb look on her face. He waved his hand in front of her face, before looking back at Percy and Grover, who had equally baffled expressions.

"Wow." Annabeth said with a look of complete disbelief.

"Dude… your life is messed up. And I thought I had a bad uncle." Percy commented. Gohan laughed at that.

"Aliens, robots, outer space? Sounds like a science fiction movie. Your world seems like a very different place than ours." Grover added Annabeth nodded.

"Unbelievable. You're… you're an alien!" Annabeth babbled, quietly enough that no one heard them.

"Explains the tail." Percy chimed in.

"I told you he smelled different! I just didn't think he was an alien." Grover hissed.

"Half. I'm half-alien. My mom was human." Gohan added.

"Just… amazing. This is just… unbelievable." Gohan frowned.

"You believe in gods, monsters, and magic. How hard is it to believe that parallel Earths exist? But on mine, we have aliens and androids." Gohan stated.

"So… how do you get home?" Percy asked. Gohan looked at him with a nervous face.

"I… don't know." He answered. Annabeth looked at him.

"You have to tell Chiron." she hissed.

"Ummm, how about we don't?" Percy countered. Annabeth and Grover glared at him.

"We have to! They need to know!" Percy frowned.

"And how long do you think Dionysus will let Gohan stay after he finds out Gohan's not a demigod? He's already not Gohan's biggest fan. Are you seriously going to put the guy who saved the world on the streets in a completely strange world?" Annabeth opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't say a thing.

"Look, just go to the gods with Percy. Zeus should be in a good mood, given that you found the lightning bolt and returned the helm. After you and Percy present the bolt to Zeus, tell him your story. Maybe he can send you home." Gohan reached into his pocket, where the sword had morphed into a jet-black pen after the battle, which looked very different from the one Percy had for Riptide. If anyone else tried to touch it, it would give them an electric jolt, like a cop who had looked through their things. Thankfully, Annabeth talked it off as a joke shock pen.

"Will that really work? Can Zeus do that?" Gohan asked. Annabeth pressed her lips together as the plane shook, causing Percy to shake nervously.

"It's worth a shot." Gohan scratched his head nervously. Just then, the seatbelt sign rang, and the pilot announced that they would be landing in five minutes.

Percy didn't unclench his hands from the armrests until they touched down safely at La Guardia. The local press was waiting for them outside security, but they managed to evade them thanks to Annabeth, who lured them away in her invisible Yankees cap, shouting, "They're over by the frozen yogurt! Come on!" then rejoined them at baggage claim.

The group split up at the taxi stand. Gohan and Percy would go to Olympus, and Percy told Annabeth and Grover to get back to Half-Blood Hill and let Chiron know what had happened. They protested, and it was hard to let them go after all they'd been through, but he knew that the last part of this quest, only he and Gohan could do by themselves. If things went wrong, if the gods didn't believe him ... he wanted Annabeth and Grover to survive to tell Chiron the truth. Plus, having a super powerful alien hybrid warrior by his side who had defeated Ares didn't hurt either.

They hopped in a taxi and headed into Manhattan. Gohan, of course, was looking around like an idiot and making ohh and ahh noises every two minutes. Thirty minutes later, they walked into the lobby of the Empire State Building.

The two of them must have looked like a pair of homeless kids, with Percy's tattered clothes and Gohan's scraped-up face. Niether of them had slept in at least twenty-four hours.

They went up to the guard at the front desk. Percy said, "Six hundredth floor." The guard was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front with a lightning scar and a cloak. Gohan wasn't much into fantasy, but the book must've been good, because the guard took a while to look up. "No such floor, kiddos."

"We need an audience with Zeus." He gave them a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"You heard me." He snorted

"No appointment, no audience, kids. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced." He looked back at his book.

"Oh, I think he'll make an exception. Gohan, show him." Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out the pen, placing it on the desk. It glowed blue and shot off several sparks.

His face went pale. "That isn't..."

"Yes, it is," Percy promised. "You want him take it out and-"

"No! No!" He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card, then handed it to Percy. "Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you." He looked at Gohan.

"No mortals." Percy growled in frustration. But, Gohan laughed as he picked up the pen.

"Oh, I'm not a mortal. I'm far from it. Just ask Ares." The man quickly got a look of disbelief on his face.

"That was you?!" Gohan grinned as he planted his palms on the table. Then, a light gold aura surrounded him, causing the man to shrink back.

"Never mind! Zeus will definitely want to see you, kid." The man laughed as Gohan's aura vanished.

They did as he told them. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Percy slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600.

Percy pressed it and waited, and waited. Gohan finally broke the silence.

"Man, word travels fast." Gohan commented. Percy frowned.

"Not a good thing. I don't think Zeus was in a good mood to start with. Still, he probably wont do anything since you're the one with the bolt. Still… think you can take him on?" Gohan frowned at that.

"Maybe. I didn't exactly go all out with Ares. Plus, I've got the bolt." Percy stared at him.

"You're telling me you were just toying with Ares?" Gohan frowned at that.

"Mmmm… not really. Maybe about 45% of my full power. Still took a lot out of me." Percy frowned at that.

"Out of all this things I imagined, I didn't exactly think you were… what you said you were. Wow." Gohan smirked.

"You and me both. Man, I'm just looking around in awe. I'm surprised you guys don't have hovercars or capsules." Percy blinked and stared at Gohan.

"Your Earth has hovercars? And spaceships?" Gohan nodded.

"Yeah. The buildings don't really look like this. They're more… roundish." Percy stared at him.

"Does your Earth have Coke? Or a McDonalds?" Gohan looked at him curiously.

"What's a McDonalds?" Percy looked horrified. Finally, ding. The doors slid open. They stepped out and almost had a heart attack. Percy almost had a heart attack second time.

"No McDonalds." He muttered.

"Shut up. We have aliens and androids." Gohan countered.

They were standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air. Below them was Manhattan, from the height of an airplane. In front of them, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky. Gohan's eyes followed the stairway to its end, where his brain just could not accept what he saw.

From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces-a city of mansions-all with white- columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads wound crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow. Precariously perched gar-dens bloomed with olive trees and rosebushes. They could make out an open-air market filled with colorful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other. It was an Ancient Greek city, except it wasn't in ruins. It was new, and clean, and colorful, the way Athens must've looked twenty-five hundred years ago.

"Okay… this place definitely beats the Lookout." Gohan thought.

Their trip through Olympus was a daze. They passed some giggling wood nymphs who threw olives at me from their garden. Hawkers in the market offered to sell them ambrosia-on-a-stick, and a new shield, and a genuine glitter-weave replica of the Golden Fleece, as seen on Hephaestus-TV The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park while a small crowd gathered-satyrs and naiads and a bunch of good-looking teenagers who might've been minor gods and goddesses. Nobody seemed worried about an impending civil war. In fact, everybody seemed in a festive mood. Several of them turned to watch them pass, and whispered to themselves. But, everyone watched Gohan with a wary glance.

"I guess the story about me beating Ares spread faster than I thought." Gohan whispered with a nervous look on his face. They climbed the main road, toward the big palace at the peak. It was a reverse copy of the palace in the Underworld. There, everything had been black and bronze. Here, every-thing glittered white and silver. Steps led up to a central courtyard. Past that, the throne loom. Room really isn't the right word. The place made Grand Central Station look like a broom closet. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.

Twelve thrones, built for beings the size of Hades, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left. Percy didn't have to be told who the two gods were that were sitting there, waiting for them to approach. Percy came toward them, his legs trembling. Gohan was awed as well.

"So, these are gods!" Gohan thought with awe.

The gods were in giant human form, as Hades had been, but Gohan could barely look at them without feeling a tingle, as if his body were starting to burn. Zeus, the Lord of the Gods, wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard, marbled gray and black like a storm cloud. His face was proud and handsome and grim, his eyes rainy gray. As they got nearer to him, the air crackled and smelled of ozone.

The god sitting next to him was his brother. Gohan realized that his had to be Poseidon, Percy's dad, without a doubt, but he was dressed very differently. He wore leather sandals, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it. His skin was deeply tanned, his hands scarred like an old-time fisherman's. His hair was black, like mine. His face had that same brooding look that had always gotten me branded a rebel. But his eyes, sea-green like mine, were surrounded by sun-crinkles that told that he smiled a lot, too. His throne was a deep-sea fisherman's chair. It was the simple swiveling kind, with a black leather seat and a built-in holster for a fishing pole. Instead of a pole, the holster held a bronze trident, flickering with green light around the tips. The gods weren't moving or speaking, but there was tension in the air, as if they'd just finished an argument.

Percy approached the fisherman's throne and knelt at his feet. "Father." He dared not look up.

To his left, Zeus spoke. "Should you not address the master of this house first, boy?" Percy kept my head down, and waited. Then, Zeus glared at Gohan, who scratched his head nervously.

"Ummm… hi." Zeus' eyes narrowed.

"You. You dare show your face here? After sending my son to the pits of Tartarus, outsider?" Gohan blinked in confusion. Zeus leaned forward.

"Oh yes. I know you come from another dimension. Did you really think me such a fool that I would not see the tear between dimensions? Or your intrusion upon Camp Half-Blood? But perhaps the largest slight you have committed is daring to claim you are my child!" the sky crackled with thunder. Gohan raised a finger.

"Hang on a second! First of all, I never said I was your son. Everyone just thought I was! I did try to correct them. Second of all, I never attacked anyone. They all attacked me! I mean us!"

"Peace, brother," Poseidon interrupted. Zeus glared at him.

"The boy defends himself. And Percy defers to his father. This is only right."

"You still claim this boy, then?" Zeus asked, menacingly. "You claim this child whom you sired against our sacred oath?"

"I have admitted my wrongdoing," Poseidon said. "Now I would hear him speak."

"I have spared him once already," Zeus grumbled. "Daring to fly through my domain ... pah! I should have blasted him out of the sky for his impudence."

"And risk destroying your own master bolt?" Poseidon asked calmly. "Let us hear them out, brother."

Zeus grumbled some more. "I shall listen," he decided. "Then I shall make up my mind whether or not to cast this boy down from Olympus. And then I will decide whether or not to turn this one into ash." He gestured at Gohan. He almost opened his mouth to say a very rude word, but decided against it. He glanced at the fire, and saw

"Perseus," Poseidon said. "Look at me." Percy slowly looked up at Poseidon. Gohan had a feeling he knew exactly what Percy was thinking. After all, he had also strived for a long time to impress and be like his own father. And in the end, he had surpassed his father.

"Address Lord Zeus, boy," Poseidon told me. "Tell him your story." Then, he turned to look at Gohan.

"Then I wish to hear your tale, otherworlder."

So Percy told Zeus everything, just as it had happened. Then, Percy turned to look at Gohan. He took it over from there. He told his backstory, repeating everything he had told Percy. He then continued on, describing his amnesi, the adventure with Percy, and finally, his battle with Ares. When he finished, he pulled out the black pen and uncapped it. It grew into the gleaming sword from before, crackling with power. Zeus was so surprised that he rose from his thrones with a look of disbelief. There was a long silence, broken only by the crackle of the hearth fire.

Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew out of Gohan's hand and landed straight into his. As he closed his fist, the sword morphed into the form it had had before. The metallic points flared with electricity, and grew until he was holding what looked more like the clas-sic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that made the hairs on every inch of Gohan's body rise, including his tail, which was not a pretty sight.

"I sense these boys are telling the truth," Zeus muttered. "But that Ares would do such a thing ... it is most unlike him."

"He is proud and impulsive," Poseidon said. "It runs in the family. As well as foolishly rushing into a battle that he had no chance of winning." Poseidon gave Gohan a small nod.

"Lord?" Percy asked.

They both said, "Yes?" Gohan snickered.

"Ares didn't act alone. Someone else-something else- came up with the idea."

Percy described his dreams. Gohan added his experiences as well.

"In the dreams," Percy said, "the voice told me to bring the bolt to the Underworld. Ares hinted that he'd been having dreams, too. I think he was being used, just as I was, to start a war."

"You are accusing Hades, after all?" Zeus asked.

"No," Percy said. "I mean, Lord Zeus, I've been in the presence of Hades. This feeling on the beach was different. It was the same thing I felt when I got close to that pit. That was the entrance to Tartarus, wasn't it? Something powerful and evil is stirring down there ... something even older than the gods."

Poseidon and Zeus looked at each other. They had a quick, intense discussion in Ancient Greek. Poseidon made some kind of suggestion, but Zeus cut him off. Poseidon tried to argue. Zeus held up his hand angrily. "We will speak of this no more," Zeus said. "I must go personally to purify this thunderbolt in the waters of Lemnos, to remove the human taint from its metal." He rose and looked at Percy. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree. "You have done me a service, boy. Few heroes could have accomplished as much."

"We had help, sir," Percy said. "Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase-" he was cut off by the sound of a large crack. The lightning bolt sparked in Zeus' hands, and a large bolt of electricity arched off the bolt, straight towards Gohan. He yelped as covered his face, expecting his face to burn off. However… nothing happened. He opened his eyes to see everyone in the room staring at his feet with a look of awe. Gohan looked down to see his sword lying at his feet.

"Whoa!" Gohan grinned as he carefully picked up the sword, which sparked in his hands. It felt… perfect in his hands. Zeus looked at Gohan with a bemused expression.

"It has been a very long time since I met a being with a pure heart. Now I understand why the master bolt allowed you to wield it. What you hold is a fragment of the master bolt, which has chosen you to be its master." Zeus paused as he looked at Percy.

"To show you my thanks, I shall spare your life. I do not trust you, Perseus Jackson. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live."

"Um ... thank you, sir."

"Ummm, excuse me? Hello?" Gohan waved his hands. Zeus glared at him.

"What?" he snapped. Gohan laughed nervously.

"Well, I was wondering if you could send me home. To my world." The throne room was silent, except for the crackle of the master bolt. Zeus let out a deep sigh.

"I cannot." Gohan's shoulders sagged. Percy gave Gohan a sympathetic look.

"I do not have the power to send beings from this world to another. Those ways have long been since lost." Gohan groaned to himself.

"However… you have fought for Olympus. You fought for me and helped reclaim my bolt. Even though this is not your world. And, my master bolt chose you to wield it in battle. For this, I will allow you to stay at Camp Half-Blood for the time being." Percy looked at Gohan and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Can I get my own cabin? I'll call it: Cabin Earth One." Zeus frowned.

"No." Gohan sighed.

"Aw."

"However, be warned. My bolt may have chosen you, but that does not mean you have earned my trust. I do not like what your arrival from your world means for the future of Olympus. You have a power that rivals that of the gods. You may be our ally for now, but be warned. Should you ever turn against the gods, you will not be so fortunate as you were against Ares." Zeus ordered.

"Fortunate? He slashed my face and tried to kill us!" Zeus then turned to look at Percy.

"As for you, Perseus Jackson…do not presume to fly again. Do not let me find you here when I return. Otherwise you shall taste this bolt. And it shall be your last sensation."

Thunder shook the palace. With a blinding flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.

They were alone in the throne room with Poseidon. "Your uncle," Poseidon sighed, "has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would've done well as the god of theater." Gohan snorted, followed by an uncomfortable silence.

"Sir," Percy said, "what was in that pit?"

Poseidon regarded him. "Have you not guessed?"

"Kronos," Percy said. "The king of the Titans."

Even in the throne room of Olympus, far away from Tartarus, the name Kronos darkened the room, made the hearth fire seem not quite so warm on his back. Gohan looked around nervously.

"Ak…ward…" he muttered nervously.

Poseidon gripped his trident. "In the First War, Percy, Zeus cut our father Kronos into a thousand pieces, just as Kronos had done to his own father, Ouranos. Zeus cast Kronos's remains into the darkest pit of Tartarus. The Titan army was scattered, their mountain fortress on Etna destroyed, their monstrous allies driven to the farthest corners of the earth. And yet Titans cannot die, any more than we gods can. Whatever is left of Kronos is still alive in some hideous way, still conscious in his eternal pain, still hungering for power."

"He's healing," Percy said. "He's coming back."

Poseidon shook his head. "From time to time, over the eons, Kronos has stirred. He enters men's nightmares and breathes evil thoughts. He wakens restless monsters from the depths. But to suggest he could rise from the pit is another thing."

"That's what he intends, Father. That's what he said." Poseidon was silent for a long time.

"Lord Zeus has closed discussion on this matter. He will not allow talk of Kronos. You have completed your quest, child. That is all you need to do."

"But-" Percy stopped himself. Arguing would do no good. It would very possibly anger the only god who he had on his side. "As ... as you wish, Father."

Then, Poseidon turned to look at Gohan.

"You helped save my son. You have my thanks." Gohan laughed nervously.

"Ummm… you're welcome." Poseidon chuckled.

"As a part of my thanks in aiding my son in clearing my name, you can stay in Cabin Three at Camp-Half Blood." Gohan grinned, while Percy looked surprised.

"You can do that?" Poseidon smiled.

"It's my cabin. I can decide who stays in it besides my children. I'll inform Chiron and Dionysus to allow you to stay in the cabin." Gohan grinned

"Looks like we're roomies1" Poseidon smiled.

"I do wish you luck, boy. I'm sure you'll find a way back to your world eventually. In the meantime… keep an eye on Percy, will you? He seems to be safer when you're around." Percy turned red with embarrassment.

"Father? Really?"

A faint smile played on Poseidon's lips. "Obedience does not come naturally to you, does it?"

"No ... sir."

"I must take some blame for that, I suppose. The sea does not like to be restrained." He rose to his full height and took up his trident. Then he shimmered and became the size of a regular man, standing directly in front of me. "You must go, child. But first, know that your mother has returned."

Percy stared at him, completely stunned. "My mother?"

"You're welcome." Gohan stated.

"You will find her at home. Hades sent her when you recovered his helm. Even the Lord of Death pays his debts." Gohan frowned in annoyance.

"Seriously? Everyone forgetting I'm the one who told Hades to do that?" Gohan slouched in frustration..

"Not even a thank you. Seriously." He muttered

Percy's heart was pounding. He couldn't believe it. "Do you ... would you ..."

Poseidon's eyes took on a little sadness. "When you return home, Percy, you must make an important choice. You will find a package waiting in your room."

"A package?"

"You will understand when you see it. No one can choose your path, Percy. You must decide."

He nodded, though Percy didn't know what he meant.

"Your mother is a queen among women," Poseidon said wistfully. "I had not met such a mortal woman in a thousand years. Still ... I am sorry you were born, child. I have brought you a hero's fate, and a hero's fate is never happy. It is never anything but tragic."

"Coming from me, it's not exactly a cakewalk." Gohan added

"I don't mind, Father." Percy said, ignoring Gohan.

"Not yet, perhaps," he said. "Not yet. But it was an unforgivable mistake on my part." Poseidon said.

"I'll leave you then." Percy bowed awkwardly. "I-I won't bother you again. Come on, Gohan." He frowned nervously, but followed Percy. They were five steps away when he called, "Perseus." they turned.

There was a different light in his eyes, a fiery kind of pride. "You did well, Perseus. Do not misunderstand me. Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God."

As the two of them walked back through the city of the gods, conversations stopped. The muses paused their concert. People and satyrs and naiads all turned toward the two of them, their faces filled with respect and gratitude, and as they passed, they knelt, as if the two of them were some kind of heroes.

"Ummm… thank you! You're all welcome!" Gohan grinned as he waved his new sword in his hand.

"Gohan, put that thing away!"

"Aw." Gohan capped the sword, causing it to morph back into a pen. Then, he turned at he sound of a whistle, turning to see several very attractive minor goddesses and nayids waving at him and giggling.

"Hi!" Gohan grinned.

"Just come on."

Fifteen minutes later, still in a trance, the two of them were back on the streets of Manhattan, sitting on a curb.

"Well, looks like we did it!" Gohan clapped Percy on the shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Dude, watch it!" he groaned as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

"Sorry." Then, Gohan's stomach grumbled.

"I'm so hungry." He moaned. Percy smirked at him.

"You okay?" Gohan looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.

"Come on, Gohan! Zeus said that he can't send you home. You're stuck here. You have every right to be upset." Gohan sighed as he leaned back.

"For now. I'll find another way to get home… eventually." Gohan smiled weakly. Percy patted him on the shoulder.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here. I don't think we would have finished the quest without you." Percy said. Gohan smirked at that.

"Thanks. And I probably wouldn't have gotten myself back without you, Annabeth, and Grover. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't landed at Camp Half-Blood." Percy grinned

"Well, the gods would be trying to kill each other. The world would be screwed. Me, Annabeth, and Grover would be dead… and Kronos would have won." The sky darkened for a second, causing them to pause.

"Geez, talk about complicated." Percy smirked.

"Hang on a second." He hopped off the curb and walked down the sidewalk. About two minute later, he came back with two hot dogs and two coke bottles.

"What are those?" Gohan asked. Percy smirked as he handed Gohan a bottle and a hot dog.

"You can't call yourself a New Yorker without having a hot dog. And this is real coke, not the stuff at camp." Gohan looked at it curiously, then sniffing the hot dog.

"Mmmm, this smells good!" Percy looked a bit nervous.

"Don't go nuts. That's all you're getting till we get back to camp. We didn't have a lot of money left." Gohan looked at the hot dog, and then took a bite. His face lit up.

"Yum!" he scarfed down the hot dog, and then gulped down the Coke.

"Wow!" Gohan stared at the Coke bottle.

"Seriously. You don't have Coke on your Earth?" Gohan shook his head.

"We have soda, but we don't call it that." Percy muttered as he shook his head. Then, he stood up.

"So, back to camp?" Gohan asked. Percy shook his head

"We have a pit stop to make first."

The two of the caught a taxi to my mom's apartment, rang the door-bell, and there she was- Percy's beautiful mother, smelling of peppermint and licorice, the weariness and worry evaporating from her face as soon as she saw him.

"Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby."

She crushed the air right out of him. They stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through Percy's hair. Gohan felt extremely awkward. He shifted on his feet nervously.

"Ummmmm… should I go outside? Or anywhere else besides here?" Percy and his mother stopped hugging, causing her to look at Gohan curiously.

"Who's this? Is he a…" she began to ask.

"A demigod?" Percy asked. She nodded.

"No. I'm actually pretty far from it. I'm Gohan. Hi." Gohan held out his hand. She frowned, but shook his hand.

"Hello. So… what are you? Where are you from?" she asked curiously.

"Mom, you not believe me if I told you." Percy stated.

"I'm a half-alien hybrid from a parallel Earth. I got stuck here after a big fight with a super bio-android." Gohan stated. Percy's mother was silent as he looked at her son with a disbelieving look.

"Believe it or not, he's actually telling the truth." Gohan's tail wrapped loose from his waist and wiggled free. Her eyes widened.

"Gohan! My mom's freaked out enough. Could you not do that?" Gohan frowned, but rewrapped his tail.

"That's..." Percy shook his head.

"Mom, that's actually not the weirdest thing about him. But, are you okay?" She told them she'd just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits. She didn't remember anything since the Minotaur, and couldn't believe it when Gabe told her that Percy was a wanted criminal, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments. She'd been going out of her mind with worry all day because she hadn't heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month's salary to make up and she'd better get started. Gohan noticed that Percy looked a bit angry at that remark. Percy swallowed back his anger and told her their own story. He tried to make it sound less scary than it had been, but that wasn't easy. And then there were the parts of Gohan's involvement that were a bite more difficult to explain. It's hard to simplify a kid falling out of the sky or blasting monsters with energy blasts from his hands.

He was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe's voice interrupted from the living room. "Hey, Sally! That meat loaf done yet or what?" Gohan perked up.

"Food?" She closed her eyes. "He isn't going to be happy to see you, Percy. The store got half a million phone calls today from Los Angeles ... something about free appliances." Gohan snorted.

"Oh yeah. That was pretty funny." She looked at him, causing him to falter.

"About that..." Percy began to say.

She managed a weak smile. "Just don't make him angrier, all right? Come on."

In the month he'd been gone, the apartment had turned into Gabeland. Garbage was ankle deep on the carpet. The sofa had been reupholstered in beer cans. Dirty socks and underwear hung off the lampshades. Gohan whimpered as he covered his nose.

"What is that smell?" he asked. Percy's mother looked apologetic. Gabe and three of his big goony friends were playing poker at the table. When Gabe saw me, his cigar dropped out of his mouth. His face got redder than lava. "You got nerve coming here, you little punk. I thought the police-"

"He's not a fugitive after all," my mom interjected. "Isn't that wonderful, Gabe?" Gabe looked back and forth between them. He didn't seem to think Percy's homecoming was so wonderful.

"And who's this brat?"

"Hi. I'm Gohan." Gohan raised his hand.

"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally," he growled. "Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."

"Gabe, no!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say 'no'? You think I'm gonna put up with this punk again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro."

"But-" He raised his hand, and Percy's mother flinched.

For the first time, Percy realized something. Gabe had hit his mother. He didn't know when, or how much. But he was sure he'd done it. Maybe it had been going on for years, when he wasn't around. A balloon of anger started expanding in his chest. He came toward Gabe, instinctively taking his pen out of my pocket. But, Gohan was faster. He simply vanished and reappeared next to Gabe. He grabbed his back and smashed him against the wall. His poker buddies stumbled back with confused expressions.

"I wouldn't do that again." Gabe hissed.

"You don't know who you're messing with, punk." Gabe snarled. Gohan smirked.

"Oh, believe me. You don't know who you're messing with."

"Leave. Now." Gohan ordered. Gabe's friends looked a bit nervous.

"Oh please. Touch me, and you'll both go to prison! And what can you do, kid?" Gohan grinned. Then, he held his left fist back and thrust it at Gabe's head. A loud crack echoed. Gabe slowly opened his eyes to see Gohan's fist buried in the wall next to him, up to the elbow.

"Ayyyy." Percy groaned as he covered his face. His mother's eyes were as wide as saucers. Needless to say, Gabe's friends cleared out after that. Gohan slowly pulled his fist out of the wall and gripped a large chunk of plaster.

Gabe just laughed. "What, punk? You touch me, and you are going to jail forever, you understand?" Gohan simply smirked. Then, he closed his fist, and the plaster crunched into pieces. Gabe's eyes widened. Then, Gohan dropped him.

"To be honest, Gabe, I've had one heck of a week. I lost my dad, and my home in one day. Then, I lost my memory for awhile, and completely forgot who I was! To make matters worse, now I can't get home! So, now I'm lost, stranded on a strange Earth, and have no idea how to get home? And worse of all? I'M HUNGRY!" Gohan roared as he slammed his fists on Gabe's poker table. It shattered, sending cars, chips, and wood in all directions. After a minute, Percy and his mother slowly looked over the couch. Gabe was couched in the corner with wide eyes..

"I probably should have warned you, Gabe. He's like Superman, but no weakness like Kryptonite." Percy commented, deciding to exclude Gohan's tail. Gohan slowly turned to look at Gabe, slightly glowing with a very pissed expression. Gabe somehow recomposed himself.

"I'll be nice to you, punk." Gabe showed Percy his tobacco-stained teeth. "I'll give you five minutes to get your stuff and clear out. And take that freak with you. After that, I call the police."

"Gabe!" my mother pleaded. "He ran away," Gabe told her. "Let him stay gone. And this freak…" Gohan simply glared at Gabe, who faltered.

"Take this freak with you! I'm gonna watch TV. I want that roast soon!" Gabe stomped into the next room.

Percy's mother took his arm. "Please, Percy. Come on. We'll go to your room." He let her pull him away, is hands still trembling with rage.

"Wait here, Gohan. Don't break anything." Gohan frowned, but didn't move as Percy and his mother left. Then, his nose perked.

"Oooh, something smells good." He followed the smell into the kitchen, and grinned. Sitting on the table was a smoking pot roast.

"Mmmmmm!" Gohan licked his lips and smiled.

Percy's room had been completely filled with Gabe's junk. There were stacks of used car batteries, a rotting bouquet of sympathy flowers with a card from somebody who'd seen his Barbara Walters interview.

"Gabe is just upset, honey," his mother told him. "I'll talk to him later. I'm sure it will work out."

"Mom, it'll never work out. Not as long as Gabe's here. Plus, Gohan did just threaten his life and punch through a wall. And shatter his table." His mother frowned.

"Percy… are you sure you should be with that boy? He seems… dangerous." She stated. Percy frowned.

"Mom, to be honest? He's a pretty good person, but he's been though a lot. After what I heard, my life seems like a cakewalk. He's not joking about the parallel Earth thing." She smiled.

"That, I believe." Percy looked surprised.

"You do?" she smiled.

"Percy. The gods of Greek mythology exist. Is it really so hard to imagine that parallel Earths exist, with their own heroes on them? I did read comic books when I was younger. It's actually quite interesting to think about. I mean the possibilities! I wonder if Superman really exists somewhere." Percy frowned.

"Mom, you're changing the subject."

She wrung her hands nervously. "Percy… I can ... I'll take you to work with me for the rest of the summer. In the fall, maybe there's another boarding school-"

"Mom."

She lowered her eyes. "I'm trying, Percy. I just... I need some time."

A package appeared on his bed. At least, he could've sworn it hadn't been there a moment before. It was a battered cardboard box about the right size to fit a basketball. The address on the mailing slip was in my own handwriting:

The Gods Mount Olympus 600th Floor,

Empire State Building New York, NY

With best wishes, PERCY JACKSON

Over the top in black marker, in a man's clear, bold print, was the address of their apartment, and the words: RETURN TO SENDER.

Suddenly Percy understood what Poseidon had told me on Olympus.

Percy looked at his mother. "Mom, do you want Gabe gone?

"Percy, it isn't that simple. I-"

"Mom, just tell me. That jerk has been hitting you. Do you want him gone or not?"

She hesitated, then nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yes, Percy. I do. And I'm trying to get up my courage to tell him. But you can't do this for me. You can't solve my problems."

He looked at the box.

He could solve her problem. He wanted to slice that package open, plop it on the poker table, and take out what was inside. He could start his very own statue garden, right there in the living room. He would just have to be careful not to create a saiyan statue by accident.

That's what a Greek hero would do in the stories, he thought. That's what Gabe deserves. But a hero's story always ended in tragedy. Poseidon had told him that.

He remembered the Underworld. He thought about Gabe's spirit drifting forever in the Fields of Asphodel, or condemned to some hideous torture behind the barbed wire of the Fields of Punishment-an eternal poker game, sitting up to his waist in boiling oil listening to opera music.

A month ago, he wouldn't have hesitated. Now ... "I can do it," he told my mom. "One look inside this box, and he'll never bother you again."

She glanced at the package, and seemed to understand immediately. "No, Percy," she said, stepping away. "You can't."

"Poseidon called you a queen," he told her. "He said he hadn't met a woman like you in a thousand years." Her cheeks flushed. "Percy-"

"You deserve better than this, Mom. You should go to college, get your degree. You can write your novel, meet a nice guy maybe, live in a nice house. You don't need to protect me anymore by staying with Gabe. Let me get rid of him. Or Gohan. I don't think he would mind."

She wiped a tear off her cheek. "You sound so much like your father," she said. "He offered to stop the tide for me once. He offered to build me a palace at the bottom of the sea. He thought he could solve all my problems with a wave of his hand."

"What's wrong with that?"

Her multicolored eyes seemed to search inside him. "I think you know, Percy. I think you're enough like me to understand. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me ... or my son. I have to ... find the courage on my own. Your quest has reminded me of that."

"I'll leave the box," Percy said. "If he threatens you ..."

She looked pale, but she nodded.

"Where will you go, Percy?"

"Half-Blood Hill."

"For the summer ... or forever?"

"I guess that depends."

They locked eyes, and he sensed that they had an agreement. They would see how things stood at the end of the summer.

"So, what's going to happen to Gohan?" she asked. Percy was silent.

"We tried, but Zeus can't send him home. Looks like he's stuck here for now." She frowned.

"That must be awful. To be trapped in a world that's completely different from the one you were born in… that would be a fantastic story!" Percy had to laugh,

"Mom!"

She kissed my forehead. "You'll be a hero, Percy. You'll be the greatest of all. Maybe even the greatest in the multiverse." Percy smirked.

"Well, I can't fly. And I don't have super strength. Or a tail or fire energy blasts from my hands. Or make myself blonde! And for some reason, I can't get girls to act like giggling idiots around me!" she looked at Percy curiously.

"Percy Jackson, do we need to have the talk?" Percy looked horrified.

"No! Mom, it's just that all the girls at camp acted so weird around him!" she smiled.

"I wouldn't worry about that just yet, Percy. Gohan's lucky to have met you." He took one last look around his bedroom. He had a feeling he'd never see it again. Then he walked with his mother into the living room.

"Where's Gohan?" he asked with a nervous expression. Then, a loud burp echoed from the kitchen, and Gohan walked in with a grin.

"Mmmmmm… that was tasty." Percy grinned while his mother looked amused.

"Gohan, did you eat my pot roast?" Gohan looked nervous.

"No." She crossed her arms and smirked. Gohan gulped.

"Why are all moms so crazy?" she grinned.

"Because we have to raise crazy kids. Take care of each other." She asked.

"Leaving so soon, punk?" Gabe called after me. "Good riddance."

"Hey, Sally," he yelled. "What about that meat loaf, huh?"

A steely look of anger flared in his mother's eyes, and he thought, just maybe, he was leaving her in good hands after all. Her own.

"The meat loaf is coming right up, dear," she told Gabe. "Meat loaf surprise." She looked at them, and winked. Gohan grinned.

"Ms. Jackson, my mom would like you." She smiled.

The last thing they saw as the door swung closed was my mother staring at Gabe, as if she were contemplating how he would look as a garden statue. Gohan frowned.

"Are you sure I can't punch him?"

"No."

"Throw him out the window?"

"No." they walked out of the building.

"Sooo… back to camp?" Gohan asked." Percy nodded.

"Yeah, let me call a taxi." Gohan grinned."

"Oh no, we're doing this my way." Percy stared at him in confusion for one second before quickly having a moment of realization.

"Oh, don't you." Then, Gohan grabbed Percy's chest and shot into the air.

"DAAARRREEEE!"

 **Enjoy that?" This story's coming to a close! But, we've got a little longer to go! Enjoy!**


	23. A New Home

**Well, this story's going to meet its end very soon. We've had a lot of adventures in this story, and there's gonna be plenty of more coming! I hope you enjoy this! Have fun!**

"YAHHHOOO!" Gohan laughed as he shot through the air. It felt great to fly again. Percy, on the other hand, was screaming his head off.

"SLOW DOWN!" It took less than two minutes for them to reach Camp Half-Blood. Once the camp came into view, Gohan grinned as he flipped through the air and landed cleanly next to Thalia's tree with a loud boom.

"Well, finally! We're back!" Gohan grinned. Then, a loud retching noise made him turn to see Percy hunched over the ground, vomiting his brains out.

"Seriously?" Percy gave Gohan a venomous glare before retching again. Then, Gohan snorted.

"What's so funny?" Percy spat

"I just find it funny that you have a weak stomach, since your dad is god of the sea. You know, rough seas and all that." Percy coughed as he wiped his mouth.

"That just means I don't get seasick! There's a difference between rocking on a boat… AND GETTING DRAGGED THROUGH THE AIR THOUSANDS OF FEET IN THE SKY AT SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR!" Percy choked as he wiped his mouth.

"Geez, you don't have to get all psycho about it." Percy gave Gohan a look of pure loathing.

"Could you not do that again? Ever?" he demanded. Gohan shrugged.

"Man. If we ever got into a fight, I'd wipe the floor with you in a minute." Percy perked up.

"As if. I think it'd last a bit longer than that." Gohan smirked.

"You saw what happened to Ares, right?"

"Say that next time you want to take a dip in the ocean." The two of them would have kept arguing, but they were thankfully interrupted.

"You made it!" they turned to see Annabeth and Grover run up the hill towards them. Chrion was behind them, causing Gohan to gulp. Chrion had a look of immense relief on his face.

"Man, really not looking forward to this." Gohan muttered. Percy gave him a sympathetic look. After all, this was gonna be one whopper of a story to tell. Not to mention he wasn't sure how the rest of the campers were going to react. This wasn't exactly something that happened every other day.

"We heard! You did it, guys! You saved the day!" Grover bleated happily. Chiron trotted up with a small smile on his gruff face.

"Indeed. You should all be proud of yourselves. Your actions have prevented a civil war that would have been devastating. You should all be proud of yourselves." Chiron said. All four of them looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Oh Gohan, your things have already moved to Cabin Three." Gohan looked surprised.

"That was fast. Like… ten minutes ago!" Annabeth smirked.

"You gotta keep up with the program, muscle-head." Gohan scratched his head.

"Wait, when did you guys get here? Sure you had a head start, but…" Gohan mused.

"Gohan, don't think about it." Grover answered. Gohan sighed.

"Okay." Chiron smiled as he looked at Gohan.

"So, Gohan. Annabeth was telling me that your memory has returned." Chiron said. Gohan gulped.

"Yes, sir." Chiron nodded.

"I suspect we have a lot to discuss." Gohan scratched his head

"Well… yeah." Percy jumped in.

"Chiron, It's not as bad as you think." Percy said quickly. Chiron looked perplexed at that statement.

"He means that you probably wont believe him." Chiron smirked.

"Let's go to the Big House. Lord Dionysus and I want to hear what happened on this quest." The five of them looked at each other before following Chiron.

"Do we have to? Mr. D doesn't like me. He really doesn't like me." Gohan stated. Percy snorted.

"Seriously? After everything we just went through? Man up, dude." Gohan glared at him.

"I will throw you into the sun." Percy gulped while Annabeth snickered.

It took about an hour and a half total for them to recap the events of their quest, and for Gohan to tell his… well, let's call it his origin story. To be honest, it was starting to get annoying to repeat everything. Maybe he should record it. They all sat at a large table that had snacks on it like pretzels and Diet Coke. Gohan gulped down a lot of the pretzels and Coke. Now that he had tried actual Coke, he could actually taste the difference.

"And… that's it. Last thing I remember after that is you guys finding me, and waking up at the Big House. The rest… well, you heard all that already." The room was silent for… well, he wasn't sure how long. Could have been minutes, could have been hours. Chiron and Mr. D were frowned, and then whispered to each other silently. You could literally feel the tension in the room.

"Hmph. I've heard better." Mr. D snorted as he conjured a glass of Diet Coke. He got stares from everyone in the room.

"It's the truth, I swear." Gohan said. Chiron simply frowned.

"I believe you." Chiron said.

"Wow, I thought it would take some more convincing. I didn't even believe it the first time." Percy said. Chiron looked at him.

"Percy, in the time since you came here and learned about your heritage, how would you say your view of the world has changed? Just over a week ago, weren't the gods of Greek mythology just that? Mythology?" Percy opened his moth to answer, but he couldn't figure out what to say.

"This world alone is much more complex than you think, Percy. Not just with the Underworld, the gods, and monsters. The world is a much larger place, children. And not just this world alone. This is just one plane, there are other dimensions to this world as well. For example, the Egyptians have the Duat. And the Asgardians? They have nine different dimensions including our own." Mr. D snorted.

"Don't get me started with those drunken idiots. Thor still owes me for that bet." Chiron sighed.

"Could you just let that go?" To say the rest of them were perplexed was an understatement?"

"Thor?" Annabeth asked. Chiron shook his head.

"That's not the point, Annabeth. Our own world is a very complex one. Is it so hard to believe parallel Earths exist as well, with their own stories, heroes, and villians?" Chiron pressed his fingers together and smiled.

"So, there's no way to get rid of the brat?" Mr. D asked with an annoyed look.

"Nope. According to Zeus, I'm stuck here." Gohan sighed. Annabeth, Percy, and Grover gave him sympathetic looks.

"There's really nothing we can do, Chiron? Don't you know a way?" Chiron leaned back and shook his head.

"I'm sorry. If there was any way to travel between worlds, it was lost long ago. It would pose a serious danger if the gods traveled to other worlds." Everyone looked confused.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"This world is where the gods were created, where their sources of power are. They are as much a part of this Earth as you and me. If any of the gods traveled from this world to another, they would be greatly weakened. Possibly even permanently destroyed." The room was silent.

"Well, on a happier note, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need, Gohan. Zeus himself has declared it. " Annabeth and Grover looked relieved. Dionysus grumbled.

"Oh joy. Now I have another annoying brat to worry about with the rest." Mr. D grumbled. Percy looked angry.

"Look. Gohan may not be a demigod, but he's as much a hero as me or Annabeth." Gohan beamed at that statement. Chiron nodded.

"May I see the blade?" Gohan blinked in confusion.

"The master bolt sword!" Percy hissed. Gohan quickly understood, pulling the black pen out of his pocket, placing it on the table and sliding it to Chiron. He picked up the pen and uncapped it, causing it to turn into the sword, which gleamed and sparked in the centuar's hand.

"Wow." Annabeth whispered softly. Even Dionysus looked a little impressed, though he would never show it or say anything.

"Even as a fragment of the master bolt, this sword still wields incredible power. I suspect no demigod could ever wield this blade. The pure power would destroy them, or give off a severe shock at the very least." Annabeth raised her hand.

"Not even Thalia?" that got an uncomfortable silence. Chiron cleared his throat.

"No, Annabeth. Not even a child of Zeus could wield this blade. You said you caught the bolt, and it turned into this?" Gohan nodded. Chiron ran a finger over the symbols.

"Hmmmm… it seems that the bolt sensed your power and allowed you to wield it against Ares. It read you and respected you." Gohan frowned.

"You talk about the sword like it's alive." The sword sparked in Chiron's hands.

"Gohan, sometimes, that is the case. For example, legend has it that The Sword of Summer was sentiment and could preform tasks for its master without the owner wielding the blade." Ignoring the confused looks he got, Chiron continued.

"It was once said that the only one who could wield the master bolt besides Zeus was one who had a heart pure of evil and corruption. But, you said you were in a… transformed state when you acquired the blade?" Gohan nodded.

"It was my ascended Super Saiyan form. I prefer to call it Super Saiyan 2. To be honest, it was the very second time I've ever taken that form, so I'm still trying to control it." Percy snorted.

"You tossed Ares around like a rag doll. I'd hate to meet the person who gets on your bad side." Gohan snorted.

"Wait… how can you hold it?" Gohan asked. Chiron smiled.

"This is not my first experience with a powerful blade. It is… a handful, but I adapt." Gohan scratched his head.

"By the way, what do those symbols mean?" Chiron looked at the Greek symbols on the blade.

"It says "May the power of Zeus strike down the enemies of Olympus." Gohan looked at the sword with awe.

"That's a little cliché." Chiron handed the sword back to Gohan.

"This sword is brand new. Pure celestial bronze, formed from the Master Bolt… it is the first of it's kind. Truly unique. Treat it well." Gohan grinned.

"Okay." Gohan said.

"Gohan… have you named it yet?" Gohan stared at the blade, then shook his head.

"It is tradition for the creator or first owner of a sword to name it. Seems that that falls to you in this case." Gohan blinked in surprise as he looked at the blade.

"So…. What are you gonna name it?" Percy asked.

"Well, since I got it while I was an ascended Super Saiyan… I'll call it Ascension!" The blade sparked in his hand

"Cool name." Percy said. Chiron nodded.

"A fine name for a find blade. It will serve you well, Gohan." Gohan nodded as he capped the sword and put it back into his pocket.

"So, what do we do about the rest of the camp? About Gohan's origin and all that." Percy asked. Chiron frowned.

"I believe that choice is up to Gohan. Whatever his choice is, we should respect it." All the eyes in the room turned towards Gohan, who shifted nervously.

"Well… I think everyone here has a right to know. You guys took me in without asking a lot of questions. Plus, none of us are what one might call normal. So, yeah. I think everyone here should know the truth about me." Percy patted Gohan on the shoulder.

"Well said, Gohan." Chiron smiled.

"Hey, Gohan? Can I ask you something?" Annabeth asked. Gohan nodded.

"What's your last name?" Percy blinked in surprise. Now that he thought about it, he didn't actually know. He had never asked.

"It's Son." Needless to say, no one had expected that.

"Your name... is Gohan Son?" Percy asked. Gohan nodded. Grover snorted.

That night proved to be one to remember. They were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated them as if they'd won some reality-TV contest. According to camp tradition, they wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in their honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where their got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful-gray silk with embroidered owls-Percy told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him and told him to shut up. Gohan thought that was hilarious.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy hadn't had any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

It was fun to burn.

As for Gohan, the Hermes campers had made him a golden shroud that seemed to glimmer in the firelight. Both Percy and Gohan thought it was pretty ironic, given Gohan's golden transformation. He watched with a smile as the sparks floated into the air. This felt strangely symbolic. In a way… that shroud represented his old life on his own Earth, All his adventures and battles. And now, he was starting a new life on a new Earth, with new friends. Wow, he was really using the word new a lot. Well, it pretty much was true. This was a new chapter in his life. He thought about his old life as the flames danced. He thought about his mom and dad, Piccolo, (even Vegeta), Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and all the other Z Fighters.

"I'll get back home, guys. One day, I promise." Gohan whispered to himself.

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores(which he gulped down in an instant), he was surrounded by his old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand- new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks at him and Percy told the two of them that they'd never forgive either of them for disgracing their dad. Although, he had a feeling they hadn't found out how yet.

Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen their spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brats didn't get themselves killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. And in this kid's case. An even emptier one. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday..." Chiron leaned next to Dionysus and whispered. The god frowned as he glanced at Gohan and then sighed.

"Fine. You, kid! Get up here, blah, blah, blah." Mr. D muttered as he sloshed around the Coke in his glass. The campers immediately burst into applause and cheers. Well, except for the Ares campers. Gohan gulped. Percy patted him on the shoulder.

"Go! You can do it!" Annabeth whispered. Gohan got up nervously and stood in front of the fire, which was blazing over ten feet.

"Hi guys! Well, it's great to be back! I know we've only been gone over a week, but, given that I almost died several times, it felt a lot longer!" Everyone howled with laughter, even the Ares campers.

"Shame you didn't!" Clarisse yelled.

"No one asked you, Clarisse! Don't make come over there!" Gohan yelled, getting howls of laughter.

"Anyway… I know our first meeting was a bit odd…" Gohan started.

"You destroyed my field!" Mr. D interrupted, causing the campers to snicker.

"Well… yeah. Good news, is that I finally remember how I got here, and you're gonna hear it!" this was met with cheers. Gohan laughed,

"Trust me, you wont believe this story." This got a lot of curious looks and whispers between cabinmates.

"Before I begin, let me just ask you guys one question." Gohan grinned as he clenched his fists. Then, he let out a roar as a golden glow enveloped him, showering the campsite in a brilliant golden light. When the light faded, there was a collective gasp. Gohan laughed as he stood in front of the fire, which was flickering gold.

"So! Who here believes in parallel Earths?" As it turns out, everyone believed the story much faster than Gohan thought. Ultimately, no one treated him any differently. Well, now they knew that he was a superpowerful, half alien warrior from a parallel Earth. Actually, some of them thought it was pretty cool. Several naiads and nymphs wanted his autograph. Apparently, defeating the god of war was a major deal. The Stoll brothers thought Gohan was awesome. Beckendorf asked Gohan how the technology of his world was different from this one. Several Aphrodite campers tried flirting with him. Apparanrtly, they had a thing for cute guys from parallel Earts that they weren't related to in the slightest. As for Clarisse… well, he had a feeling she wouldn't try anything anytime soon.

Things went back to normal. Well, as normal as one could be in a camp filled with demigods and other creature of Greek mythology. Percy moved back into cabin three, but it didn't feel so lonely anymore. Now he had a roommate, Gohan. Percy was happy to have someone else to share the cabin with, and Gohan was just happy to have some elbow room and his own bed to sleep in. Plus, Gohan had his friends to train with during the day. At night, he lay awake and listened to the sea. Unfortunately, this made him have to pee a lot the first few nights.

As for Percy's mother, it ended up being that she didn't need Gohan or Percy's help at all. Her letter arrived a week after they got back to camp. She told them Gabe had left mysteriously-disappeared off the face of the planet, in fact. She'd reported him missing to the police, but she had a funny feeling they would never find him. On a completely unrelated subject, she'd sold her first life-size concrete sculpture, entitled The Poker Player, to a collector, through an art gallery in Soho. She'd gotten so much money for it, she'd put a deposit down on a new apartment and made a payment on her first semester's tuition at NYU. The Soho gallery was clamoring for more of her work, which they called "a huge step forward in super-ugly neorealism."

But don't worry, she wrote. I'm done with sculpture. I've disposed of that box of tools you left me. It's time for me to turn to writing.

At the bottom, she wrote a P.S.: Percy, I've found a good private school here in the city. I've put a deposit down to hold you a spot, in case you want to enroll for seventh grade. You could live at home. But if you want to go year-round at Half-Blood Hill, I'll understand. And tell Gohan that he's welcome as well. This may be a different Earth, but he still has a home here."

Gohan was more than grateful for Ms. Jackson's kindness. To be honest, he wasn't actually sure what he wanted to do either. He really did need to keep up on his training, to be honest. Meanwhole, Percy couldn't decide either.

Percy folded the note carefully and set it on his bedside table. Every night before he went to sleep, he read it again, and he tried to decide how to answer her.

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Annabeth, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

"Cooool!" Gohan grinned as he stared up at the sky.

As Annabeth, Percy and Gohan were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell them good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say ... well, you know."

Annabeth gave him a hug. She told him to keep his fake feet on. Percy asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."

"I'm not human." Gohan spoke up. Grover glared at him.

"I appreciate the offer, Gohan, but this is something I have to do alone."

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?" she added

"Jeez, Annabeth," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat." But he didn't really sound annoyed.

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway-nothing like the little runty boy Percy used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck."

He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then looked at Gohan.

"Well… to be honest, Gohan, I'm sorry about how we started off. I wasn't exactly the world's nicest satyr when you got here." Gohan smirked.

"By calling me a spy and sniffing me?" Grover turned red. But, Gohan laughed.

"I get it. I'd be a little cautious too. What matters that we're friends now. You're a good friend." Grover looked pretty happy at that statement.

"Tell me something. Your world… what's the Wild like there?" he asked. Gohan smiled.

"Practically untouched. Our cities aren't like this. They're big, but not super big. There's miles and miles of trees and clean rivers. And the mountains are huge! The air feels great too. It's a pretty cool place." Grover looked amazed.

"Well, now I know at least one world is beautiful. Now I have an even bigger urge to find Pan. I want our world to be as beautiful as yours." Gohan grinned with a goffy smile as Grover headed back through the dunes. Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

He turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going-I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

Percy tried to believe it. The fact that no searcher had ever come back in two thousand years ... well, he decided not to think about that. Grover would be the first. He had to be.

"I'm sure Grover will be fine. Plus, I can usually tell when a friend gets in trouble." Gohan laughed.

July passed.

Gohan spent his days devising new strategies for capture-the-flag and making alliances with the other cabins to keep the banner out of the Ares cabin's hands. Plus, he kept ending up in practice fights with other campers, trying to see who could beat him. Gohan won, but it was always fun, especially considering his competitors always used magical items and their traits, like how the Stoll brothers tried to punk him and tie his shoelaces together. Still, he spent a lot of time training by himself, such as continuously trying to beat his score on the climbing wall. While Gohan was having a blast, Percy was still having a bit of a dilemma.

From time to time, he'd walk past the Big House, glance up at the attic windows, and think about the Oracle. He tried to convince myself that its prophecy had come to completion.

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.

Been there, done that-even though the traitor god had turned out to be Ares rather than Hades. And to be fair… Gohan did most of the god-facing.

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safe returned.

Check. One master bolt delivered. One helm of darkness back on Hades' oily head.

The lost warrior's power will reawaken once more

Oh come on, that one was too obvious. To be fair, it had been clear from the start that the lost warrior was referring to Gohan. But now, Percy knew that the lost power had actually been Gohan's super saiyan power… or more likely, his ascended power, which he had awakened before during his last battle on his own world. And, it had reawakened during their battle with Ares, saving the day. And now, Gohan was back to his old self.

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.

This line still bothered him. It clearly hadn't been Gohan. He was a lot of things, and loyal was definitely one of them. Ares had pretended to be my friend, then betrayed me. That must be what the Oracle meant...

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

He had failed to save his mom, but only because he'd let her save herself, and he knew that was the right thing.

The last night of the summer session came all too quickly.

The campers had one last meal together. They burned part of their dinner for the gods. And for once, they actually let Gohan eat as much as he wanted, to his great delight. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

Both Percy and Gohan got their own leather necklace, and when Gohan saw the bead for his first summer, he was glad the firelight covered his blushing. And he had a very good feeling Percy was doing the same. The design was pitch black, with a seagreen tri-dent shimmering in the center. And to top it off, the trident was surrounded by a shimmering golden aura and dancing blue electricity.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates two firsts at this camp! The first is the first Son of the Sea God at this camp!" the campers cheered, causing Percy to blush.

"The second is for the first warrior to come here from another Earth!" this resulted in another round of massive cheers, causing Gohan to grin nervously.

"This bead commemorates them both, and the quest that they undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war! Tonight, we celebrate two heroes of two worlds!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares cabin felt obliged to stand. Athena's cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share in the applause. Gohan, to be honest, had never felt so happy in his life. He had had some happy moments before, but it felt amazing to finally have friends his own age. Camp Half-Blood, all the campers… it all felt like a new home. A new family.

Gohan wasn't sure if he'd ever felt as happy or sad as he did at that moment. He'd finally found a family, people who cared about him and thought he'd done something right. And in the morning, most of them would be leaving for the year.

 **Enjoy that? Well, this story's over. Or well… almost. We've got one chapter left. It's going to be very helpful, you'll see. I hope you all enjoyed this story! There's going to be plenty more coming! Enjoy!**


	24. Betrayed By A Friend

**Hey guys! Here's the second to last chapter in this particular story! Trust me, it's a griper. Enjoy!**

The next morning, Gohan found a form letter on his bedside table.

He knew Dionysus must've filled it out, because he stubbornly insisted on getting his name wrong: Dear_ Goran Tron_ ,

If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit.

Have a nice day!

Mr. D (Dionysus)

Camp Director, Olympian Council #12

"Seriously? How does he misspell my name? And Son? How do you misspell that?" Percy snorted.

"Better than Peter Johnson." Gohan chuckled at that.

"So... you staying the year or going home?" he asked.

Neither boy really wanted to think about it yet, so they went outside for one last fight before it was time to go... and make that final decision.

"Give up, Percy!" Gohan laughed as he shot through the air, firing ki blasts from his hands. It was taking Percy every bit of effort to dodge Gohan's attacks.

"Cheater!" Percy yelled as he rolled on the ground. Gohan grinned as he flew over Percy, but frowned when he realized what Percy was doing. He plummeted towards the ground, stopping Percy cold before he could leap into the bay.

"You must really think I'm dumb." Gohan chuckled. Percy grinned as he uncapped Riptide.

"I'm still gonna beat you." Percy swung out, but Gohan dodged easily.

"Oh please. I'm gonna beat you without uncapping Ascension." Gohan grinned as he ducked under Percy's next swing. Percy leaped back and beamed as he thrust his hands up.

"Surf's up!" Gohan frowned in confusion before hearing a loud noise. He whirled to see a large wave crest over him.

"Damn." Then, the wave crashed over his head, completely dousing Gohan. He groaned out loud as he wiped water out of his eyes. He looked up to see Percy smirking at him.

"I win." Percy stated. Gohan laughed.

"Oh really?" Then, Percy yelped as he fell back and crashed on his back, groaning with surprise. He looked up to see Gohan holding Riptide with a smile on his face.

"Actually, I win." Gohan stated.

"What the?" Gohan's tail waggled in front of his face. Percy gaped.

"You tripped me with your tail? I thought that was your weak spot!" Percy snarled. Gohan laughed.

"Which is exactly why you didn't expect to me use it. Sometimes, one's weakness is actually greatest weapon." Percy scowled at that. He still couldn't decide anything.

"Hey Gohan. I think there might be some leftover food in the kitchen…" Gohan was gone before Percy finished the sentence. Percy sighed as he begun to walk through the camp.

The campgrounds were mostly deserted, shimmering in the August heat. All the campers were in their cabins packing up, or running around with brooms and mops, getting ready for final inspection. Argus was helping some of the Aphrodite kids haul their Gucci suitcases and makeup kits over the hill, where the camp's shuttle bus would be waiting to take them to the airport.

Don't think about leaving yet, he told myself. Just train.

He got to the sword-fighters arena and found that Luke had had the same idea. His gym bag was plopped at the edge of the stage. He was working solo, whaling on battle dummies with a sword he'd never seen before. It must've been a regular steel blade, because he was slashing the dummies' heads right off, stabbing through their straw-stuffed guts. His orange counselor's shirt was dripping with sweat. His expression was so intense, his life might've really been in danger. Percy watched, fascinated, as he disemboweled the whole row of dummies, hacking off limbs and basically reducing them to a pile of straw and armor.

They were only dummies, but he still couldn't help being awed by Luke's skill. The guy was an incredible fighter. Well, not Gohan's level, but still pretty spectacular for a demigod. It made him wonder, again, how he possibly could've failed at his quest.

Finally, he saw Percy, and stopped mid-swing. "Percy. What happened to you?"

"Um, sorry," Perct said, embarrassed. "I just- I had a training fight with Gohan." Luke grinned at that.

"Well, it didn't really go well, did it?" Percy frowned.

"I almost won. I hope I didn't bother you?" Luke laughed.

"It's okay," he said, lowering his sword. "Just doing some last-minute practice."

"Those dummies won't be bothering anybody anymore."

Luke shrugged. "We build new ones every summer." Now that his sword wasn't swirling around, Percy could see something odd about it. The blade was two different types of metal-one edge bronze, the other steel.

Luke noticed him looking at it. "Oh, this? New toy. This is Backbiter."

"Backbiter?"

Luke turned the blade in the light so it glinted wickedly. "One side is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both. It's not as flashy as the one Gohan got, but it's still pretty cool."

"I didn't know they could make weapons like that."

"They probably can't," Luke agreed. "It's one of a kind."

"Like Gohan's?" Luke frowned.

"Again, Not at all like Gohan's. Well… actually, I guess he could use that sword to kill mortals if he wanted…" Luke shook his head.

He gave Percy a tiny smile, then slid the sword into its scabbard. "Listen, I was going to come looking for you. What do you say we go down to the woods one last time, look for something to fight?"

Percy didn't know why he hesitated. He should've felt relieved that Luke was being so friendly. Ever since he'd gotten back from the quest, he'd been acting a little distant. Percy was afraid Luke might resent him for all the attention he'd gotten.

"You think it's a good idea?" Percy asked. "I mean- why don't we get Gohan" Luke snorted.

"He your bodyguard now? You're going to have to learn how to fight without him. He wont be able to save you from everything." Luke said. Percy frowned.

"Aw, come on." He rummaged in his gym bag and pulled out a six-pack of Cokes. "Drinks are on me."

Percy stared at the Cokes, wondering where the heck Luke had gotten them. There were no regular mortal sodas at the camp store. No way to smuggle them in unless you talked to a satyr, maybe. Of course, the magic dinner goblets would fill with any-thing you want, but it just didn't taste the same as a real Coke, straight out of the can.

Sugar and caffeine. His willpower crumbled. "Sure," Percy decided. "Why not?" Besides, Luke had a point. Percy should be able to handle his own.

They walked down to the woods and kicked around for some kind of monster to fight, but it was too hot. All the monsters with any sense must've been taking siestas in their nice cool caves.

They found a shady spot by the creek where Gohan broken Clarisse's spear during Percy's first capture the flag game. They sat on a big rock, drank their Cokes, and watched the sunlight in the woods.

After a while Luke said, "You miss being on a quest?"

"With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I miss it," Percy admitted. "You?"

A shadow passed over his face.

"I've lived at Half-Blood Hill year-round since I was fourteen," he told me. "Ever since Thalia ... well, you know. I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a nor-mal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, 'Okay, ride's over. Have a nice life.'"

He crumpled his Coke can and threw into the creek, which really shocked him. One of the first things you learn at Camp Half-Blood is: Don't litter. You'll hear from the nymphs and the naiads. They'll get even. You'll crawl into bed one night and find your sheets filled with centipedes and mud. Not even Gohan was stupid enough to do that.

"The heck with laurel wreaths," Luke said. "I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic."

"You make it sound like you're leaving."

Luke gave him a twisted smile. "Oh, I'm leaving, all right, Percy. I brought you down here to say good- bye. I just had to wait for you to finally separate from your saiyan bodyguard. He's going to be quite a problem. But… one that I've been anticipating for a long time. Years." Percy frowned.

"What? But, Gohan just showed up over a few months ago, after that big battle on his world!" Luke laughed at that.

"Time is a fickle thing, Percy. But, you'll figure it out soon enough."

He snapped his fingers. A small fire burned a hole in the ground at my feet. Out crawled something glistening black, about the size of my hand. A scorpion.

Percy started to go for his pen.

"I wouldn't," Luke cautioned. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

"Luke, what-"

Then it hit him.

You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.

"You," Percy said.

He stood calmly and brushed off his jeans.

The scorpion paid him no attention. It kept its beady black eyes on Percy, clamping its pincers as it crawled onto his shoe.

"I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy," Luke said. "Didn't you feel it-the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics-being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half- bloods."

"Luke ... you're talking about our parents," Percy said.

He laughed. "That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."

"You're as crazy as Ares."

His eyes flared. "Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long."

The scorpion crawled onto his pants leg

"Kronos," Percy said. "That's who you serve."

The air got colder.

"You should be careful with names," Luke warned.

"Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams." Luke's eye twitched. "He spoke to you, too, Percy. You should've listened."

"He's brainwashing you, Luke. Him and that twisted partner of yours." Luke's eyes gleamed.

"You're wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done, that was the best he could think up."

"That's not an easy quest," Percy said. "Hercules did it."

"Exactly," Luke said. "Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this"-he pointed angrily at his scar." Then, Luke chuckled.

"Would you like to know the truth, Percy? Believe it or not. I actually succeeded." Percy stared at Luke in disbelief.

"What?" Luke smiled.

"I did get the apple from the dragon. I succeeded on that pathetic quest." Luke stated. Percy frowned.

"But… then why did you fail?" Luke laughed.

"Oh, that's where I answer your other question. I was on my way back to Camp Half-Blood, apple in tow I was all ready to present it to my good old dad, get the wreath, all that. But, I didn't feel excited. I felt angry. I did all that, got this!(Luke gestured at his face), and for what? One apple that my dad would probably toss away! And I was so… MAD!" Luke took a deep breath before smiling.

"But… then fate chose to smile at me. I was in Colorado, camping for the night before continuing my journey home. And then… I thought I heard thunder. But, it was… more. The sky lit up, and I saw what I thought was a meteor hit the ground. I followed the light to the source… and found… him." Percy frowned.

"Who?" Luke howled with laughter.

"Someone strong. Someone powerful. But he was weak, on the brink of death." Percy blinked. It instantly clicked.

"You used the apple to save your partner's life. You gave it to him." Luke nodded.

"Yes. I sacrificed the fake glory of the quest, but it was completely worth it. I gained an ally. Together… we plotted to bring the gods to their knees. I also learned that another warrior was on the way, someone whose power would make the gods seem miniscule. So, I waited. When I came back, all I got was pity. But, I didn't care. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter-solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus's master bolt right from his chair. Hades' helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft."

The scorpion was sitting on my knee now, staring at Percy with its glittering eyes. He tried to keep his voice level. "So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos? Or pass them off to your partner?"

Luke's smile wavered. "I ... I got overconfident. Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt- Artemis, Apollo, my father, Hermes. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. And unfortunately, my partner was unavailable. I…neglected to inform him what I was doing. Not to mention, the guy's a plain bastard. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Kronos's voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence." Luke drew his new sword. He ran his thumb down the flat of the blade, as if he were hypnotized by its beauty. "Afterward, the Lord of the Titans ... h-he punished me with nightmares, and my partner promised to send me to Tartarus personally. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way-from Ares down to Tartarus. I had already been warned about the other warrior already, so the timing was perfect. You two, working together? I knew you could accomplish anything. Even defeating a god."

"You summoned the hellhound, that night in the forest."

"We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked."

"The flying shoes were cursed," Percy said. "They were supposed to drag me and the backpack into Tartarus."

"And they would have, if you'd been wearing them. But you gave them to Gohan first. Then, the satyr, which wasn't part of the plan. It was badd enough that his alien biology messed up the curse, but Grover messes up everything he touches. He even confused the curse. It didn't know what to do."

Luke looked down at the scorpion, which was now sit-ting on Percy's thigh. "You should have died in Tartarus, Percy. But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to set things right."

"Thalia gave her life to save you," I said, gritting my teeth. "And this is how you repay her?"

"Don't speak of Thalia!" he shouted. "The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for. Zeus cared more about some alien brat from another dimension than his own daughter! He gave Gohan a piece of his own Master Bolt! In the years Thalia and I were together, Zeus never even came close to anything like that!"

"You're being used, Luke. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos. Or your partner."

"I've been used?" Luke's voice turned shrill. "Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest-the ones who serve him."

"And Gohan?" Luke turned red.

"Don't talk to about that brat! I should have slit his throat the moment he crashed here! But NOOOOOOO, they wouldn't let me! He's the perfect tool, they said! He's the key to victory!" Luke spat on the ground in rage.

"I wanted to kill him myself! I never should have listened to them! Gohan's been nothing but trouble. He's the perfect brat, their ideal hero! Smart, funny, powerful! I can see them fawning over him, like he's the next Hercules! He's not even a demigod! But I can see them making plans for him. Not to mention, he's so arrogant. Sucking face with Annabeth? Now that's bold." Percy blinked

"First of all, Gohan didn't do that on purpose. Second. call off the bug," Percy said. "If you're so strong, fight me yourself."

Luke smiled. "Nice try, Percy. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord and partner are waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake. And my partner has plenty of plans brewing for the two of you already." The funny thing is, they wanted to keep you alive. But, I'm going to take the initiative here. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.

"Luke-"

"Good-bye, Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it." Percy bit his lip as he thought quickly

"Wait! If I'm going to die, at least tell me the name of your partner! Who is this guy?" Luke paused and grinned.

"Fair enough, Percy. I can tell you that. You would have figured it out soon enough, anyway. My partner's name is…" Luke was cut off by a fist slamming across his face, sending him tumbling across the ground.

"WHAT?" he whirled to see…

"Miss me, asshole?!" Gohan snarled as he landed in front of Luke, his eyes blazing with rage.

"YOU!" Luke roared as he whipped out Backbiter and charged at Gohan. But, Gohan was too fast.

"TRAITOR!" Gohan roared as he dodged Luke's strike. Then, he slammed his fist in Luke's stomach. His eyes bulged out of his head as he stumbled back. He pulled Ascension out of his pocket and advanced on Luke, who charged with Backbiter. The blades clashed with a loud clang, sparks shooting across the ground. Luke howled as sparks shot up the blade, causing his hair to stand on edge. Gohan then leaped into the air and slammed the blunt of his sword across Luke's face. Luke roared and stumbled back in surprise. Gohan followed that up with a slash to Luke's face, causing him to howl in pain. He took several steps back and looked u, causing Gohan to cringe. There was a new slash across his right cheek, standing out against his old scar.

"Drop it!" Gohan roared as he grabbed Luke's wrist. Luke gritted his teeth, but let out a howl of pain when his wrist broke with a loud crack, dropping Backbiter with a loud clang. Gohan finished by kicking Luke in the chest, sending him flying into a tree with a loud crack,

"You betrayed your home! You betrayed your friends! YOU BETRAYED ANNABETH!" Gohan slammed his fist into Luke's face, breaking his nose, which squirted blood like a hose. Gohan snarled as he pulled the semi-conscious Luke up to his face.

"You're going down. I'm ending your plans before they begin. I'm keeping this world safe from you! I WONT FAIL AGAIN!" Gohan roared as he punched Luke over and over again, somehow not killing him. Luke let out a croaking laugh as he slid down the tree.

"W-well… too… too bad you're about to lose Jackson." Gohan whirled to stare at Percy, who didn't look well at all. His palm had a huge red welt, oozing and smoking with yellow guck. The scorpion had gotten him after all. Luke let out a gurgling laugh.

"It's him or me… choose!" Luke grinned.

"Dammit!" Gohan grabbed a vine and wrapped it around Luke, tying it tight.

"Don't go anywhere! I'll be back for you in a minute!" Gohan barked Then, Gohan grabbed Percy and shot into the air, landing in front of the Big House. Percy barely felt any of it. His head was pounding, and a cold feeling was sweeping through him.

"Help," Percy croaked. "Please ..."

Then everything went black.

Percy woke with a drinking straw in his mouth. He was sipping something that tasted like liquid chocolate-chip cookies. Nectar.

He opened his eyes.

He was propped up in bed in the sickroom of the Big House, his right hand bandaged like a club. Argus stood guard in the corner. Annabeth sat next to him, holding Percy's nectar glass and dabbing a washcloth on his forehead. Gohan stood next to Annabeth with a nervous look on his face, apparently not sure what to do.

"Here we are again," Percy said.

"You idiot," Annabeth said, which is how I knew she was overjoyed to see me conscious. "You were green and turning gray when we found you. If Gohan hadn't gotten you here so fast, and Chiron's healing ..."

"Now, now," Chiron's voice said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was sitting near the foot of his bed in human form, which was why I hadn't noticed him yet. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale, the way it did when he'd been up all night grading Latin papers.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved." Gohan snickered.

"Believe me, I know how that feels."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened. From what Gohan told us… Luke was trying to kill you?" Annabeth looked stricken. Percy nodded

"Thanks for saving my neck. How'd you know I was in trouble?" Percy asked.

"Well, there was nothing in the kitchen, so I went to go train a little more. I saw you and Luke head into the forest, and I was curious. It was a little tricky to find you, but thankfully I got there in time."

Between sips of nectar, Percy told them the story. The room was quiet for a long time.

"I can't believe that Luke ..." Annabeth's voice faltered. Her expression turned angry and sad. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him... He was never the same after his quest." Percy perked up with a smiled.

"Well, at least Luke's plans are over. You sure did one heck of a number on him, Gohan. Luke didn't stand a chance." Gohan looked nervous.

"So… where is he? You guys lock him up in Olympus?" the air was silent

"Ummmm… Luke's gone." Percy looked shocked.

"Geez Gohan, you didn't have to kill him!" Gohan shook his head.

"No, I mean… he was gone, actually gone. I was gone less than a minute, not to mention Luke was injured and tied up. But, When I got back, the vine was broken and Luke was gone, along with his new sword." Percy gaped.

"How?" Gohan shrugged.

"I have no idea." He answered.

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."

"Luke is out there right now," Percy said. "I have to go after him."

Chiron shook his head. "No, Percy. The gods-"

"Won't even talk about Kronos," he snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"

"Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready." Percy didn't like it, but part of him suspected Chiron was right. One look at his hand, and he knew he wasn't going to be sword fighting any time soon.

"Gohan, can't you find him?" The saiyan shrugged.

"I tried, but my sensing abilities? Well… it's not as fine tuned as on my Earth. Everything feels different. I can't sense Luke anywhere." Percy sighed in frustration.

"Chiron ... your prophecy from the Oracle ... it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Annabeth?"

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place-"

"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"

His eyes were sympathetic, but sad. "You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you ..."

Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows. "All right!" Chiron shouted. "Fine!"

He sighed in frustration. "The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

"We can't just sit back and do nothing," Percy said.

"We will not sit back," Chiron promised. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Assuming I live that long."

Chiron put his hand on Percy's ankle. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice..." he got the feeling that Chiron had a very definite opinion, and it was taking all his willpower not to advise him.

"But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision." Percy had a defiant look on his face, but didn't say a thing.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you."

"Me too." Gohan raised his hand.

Chiron glanced at Annabeth. "Oh, and, my dear ... whenever you're ready, they're here."

"Who's here?" Percy asked.

Nobody answered.

Chiron rolled himself out of the room. he heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time.

Annabeth studied the ice in Percy's drink. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing." She set the glass on the table. "I ... just took your advice about something. You ... um ... need anything?" she asked

"Yeah. Help me up. I want to go outside."

"Percy, that isn't a good idea. You look like garbage." Gohan commented

He slid my legs out of bed. Annabeth caught him before he could crumple to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over him.

Annabeth said, "I told you ..."

"I'm fine," Percy insisted. He didn't want to lie in bed like an invalid while Luke was out there planning to destroy the Western world. And he knew full well that Gohan was thinking the same thing.

I managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Annabeth and Gohan. Argus followed them outside, but he kept his distance.

By the time they reached the porch, his face was beaded with sweat. His stomach had twisted into knots. But they had managed to make it all the way to the railing.

It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.

"This place seems different, empty." Gohan sighed. Annabeth nodded.

"So, what are you going to do?" Annabeth asked Percy.

"I don't know."

He told her that he got the feeling Chiron wanted him to stay year-round, to put in more individual training time, but he wasn't sure that's what he wanted. He admitted he'd feel bad about leaving her alone, though, with only Clarisse and Gohan for company... Gohan looked nervous, but Annabeth was the one who spoke first.

Annabeth pursed her lips, then said quietly, "I'm going home for the year, Percy."

He stared at her. "You mean, to your dad's?"

"That's a yes." Gohan added.

She pointed toward the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's magical boundaries, a family stood silhouetted-two little children, a woman, and a tall man with blond hair. They seemed to be waiting. The man was holding a backpack that looked like the one Annabeth had gotten from Waterland in Denver.

"They seem nice." Gohan commented, causing Annabeth to glare at him.

"I wrote him a letter when we got back," Annabeth said. "Just like you suggested. I told him ... I was sorry. I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided ... we'd give it another try."

"That took guts." Gohan commented. She glared at him, but smiled.

She pursed her lips. "You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least ... not without sending me an Iris-message?"

He managed a smile. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to." Then, she looked at Gohan.

"Same goes for you. Stay out of trouble, alien boy. I hope you have fun on your little adventure." Percy frowned, but Gohan let out a little laugh.

"I can't make any promises, Annabeth. I seems that I can't even go to a parallel Earth without getting into trouble." That made her giggle.

"When I get back next summer," she said, "we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"

"Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena."

She held out her hand. Percy shook it. Then, she gave Gohan a hug.

"Take care, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth told me. "Keep your eyes open. Same goes for you, muscle head." Gohan chuckled

"You too, Wise Girl." Annabeth smiled before looking at Gohan.

"I give you my word, Gohan. We'll find a way to get you home." Gohan smirked.

"If anyone can do it, I know it's the daughter of Athena." She beamed before giving him a quick hug. She quickly let go with a red face.

They watched her walk up the hill and join her family. She gave her father an awkward hug and looked back at the valley one last time. She touched Thalia's pine tree, then allowed herself to be lead over the crest and into the mortal world. Now, they were by themselves.

"So… what are you going to do?" Gohan asked.

Percy looked out at Long Island Sound and he remembered his father saying, The sea does not like to be restrained. Like Gohan, in a way. They were more alike than they thought, even though they were from different worlds.

"What did Annabeth mean by you having an adventure?" Gohan smiled.

"Well… I loved the offer from your mom. And maybe I'll take it... next year. But, this world is new to me, and I wanna explore it a bit, since it seems like I'm going to be here for awhile. So, I'm leaving. I'm going to travel the world, do some more training. Maybe I'll find Luke while I'm at it." Gohan stated. With that, Percy made his decision.

"I'll be back next summer," Percy promised. Gohan frowned at that.

"Sure you can stay out of trouble?" Percy smirked and shook his head.

"It's like you said, Gohan. I need to do this on my own. Besides, we both need to get out and work by ourselves. I'll see you next summer." Gohan chuckled.

"You got it, buddy. Good luck." The saiyan smiled.

"I'll survive until then.." Percy answered. Percy asked Argus to take him down to cabin three, so he could pack my bags for home. AS he reached the cabin doors, a light filled the sky. He turned and looked up to see Gohan floating several feet above him. The saiyan grinned and made a farewell sign with his fingers. Then, he shot into the distance, vanishing into the dimning sky. Percy smiled.

"See you around, Gohan."

Gohan laughed as he shot over the water, seeing the faint faces of nayiads as he flew through the air. He felt the familiar surge of power as he turned super saiyan, filling the air with a golden light. Then, he shot into the air, going higher by the second. He broke through the clouds, laughing as the world got smaller and smaller beneath him. Finally, he broke through the atmosphere and looked down, as the shimmering orb of Earth beneath him. Gohan paused as he took it all in. He felt great, and he finally remembered who he was. He was Gohan, son of Goku. He was a hero. And now this world? This Earth? This was his home now. And as long as he lived here… he would do everything in his power to protect it. Gohan smiled as he shot back down. After all, he was just getting started.

 **Enjoy that? Well, this story's over. Or well… almost. We've got one chapter left. It's going to be very helpful, you'll see. I hope you all enjoyed this story! There's going to be plenty more coming! Enjoy!**


	25. Where One Story Ends, Another Begins

**Surprised? Well, this is the last chapter in this saga! And trust me, it's a good one! Well… enjoy!**

"Man, that was fun." Luke laughed as he leaned back against the thick tree, looking at the fire blazing in front of him.

"What you call fun, I call crazy. That was one big monster." Thalia smiled as she wiped off the end of her spear. They were resting after they had been ambushed by a hellhound that had almost taken Thalia's head off. It didn't take very long to figure out that her psychotic uncle had a role in it.

"What did you think, Annabeth?" Luke asked as he turned to look at Annabeth, who was sitting on a rock nearby, squinting at a book in her hands.

"Annabeth! You there?" Thalia asked, causing her to finally look up with wide grey eyes.

"Oh! Ummm… sorry! Yeah, big one!" Luke cracked a grin.

"What are you reading, Annabeth?" the seven-year-old girl looked nervous.

"A comic book. I found it in a box outside that store." She held it up. Luke squinted. He could see the title: Infinite Crisis.

"It's a comic book! It's kinda tricky, but I'm reading it. It's way easier than a normal book." Thalia looked interested.

"What's it about?" Annabeth frowned

"Well, there's all these parallel Earths, and all these guys are fighting each other!" Luke scowled.

"Parallel Earths? What does that mean?" he asked

"Well… from this, it says that there are multiple Earths, but things are different on each one. Different things happened on each one that made each one different." The little girl looked very confused. But, thalia looked intrigued.

"Oh, I get it. Different choices, different possibilities. Makes you wonder. Maybe things are different somewhere else." Thalia commented

"Can you imagine if they exist? Maybe I'm a big architect on another one!" Thalia chuckled at Annabeth

"Maybe. Anything you want, Annabeth. Maybe I'm a normal girl on another Earth. Maybe my family's together on another Earth. Or at least I still have Jason." She whispered that second part to herself.

"Maybe the gods don't exist on another Earth. Wonder what that's like." Annabeth looked baffled.

"Then we wouldn't exist, silly!" Annabeth giggled. Luke scowled.

"It's probably a great place." He whispered to himself. Then, he pressed his lips together.

"Makes you wonder. You think we'll ever get to go to any of these Earths?" Thalis laughed.

"I'd be more concerned about if anything came here. Or anyone." Luke frowned at that.

"You got that right." Luke's eyes widened, and he whirled to see Gohan sitting next to Annabeth, who was now her 12-year-old self.

"YOU!" Annabeth giggled.

"Luke, isn't he dreamy? He's so much more handsome than you!" Luke leaped up with a look of utter disbelief.

"Get your hands off her!" Gohan chuckled.

"Give it up, Luke. I'll always be better than you. See why?" Then, Gohan and Annabeth locked lips. Luke let out a scream of rage as he leaped to his feet.

"NO! Thalia!" Luke whirled around, but Thalia was gone. When he turned to face Gohan, his blood froze. Annabeth had vanished. Now, Gohan was locking lips with Thalia. One hand was wrapped around her waist and the other up her shirt. Luke roared with rage.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Thalia and Gohan separated and smiled at Luke.

"He's everything you're not, Luke. We're gonna have some fun. Isn't that right?" Thalia looked at Gohan and smiled He grinned back.

"Of course, baby. Just let me get rid of this little problem first." Gohan grinned as he looked at Luke. Then, he turned gold.

"Any last words? I have the fame. I have the girl. And I have the power. You. Have. Nothing!" Thalia let out a peal of laughter as Gohan roared as he charged at Luke. Luke let out a bloodcurdling scream. Then, the world went black, except for the echo of Thalia's laughter.

"NO!" Luke cried as his eyes snapped open. The first thing he saw was the dark blue ceiling, which was considerably bare. Then, the pain hit. Every inch of his body throbbed. He had never felt this badly before, not ever. Not even when he fought the dragon for the golden apple and scarred his face. And his rage? He hadn't felt this angry since the night he lost Thalia.

"Well… you're awake." Luke blinked and turned to see a figure standing in front of a wide glass window. Now, Luke could see that he was in New York City, and in quite a tall building. He could see the entire city from his bed, even the Empire State Building. His blood boiled at the sight of that building, where the gods ruled and manipulated with their little games. But, he focused on the figure instead.

"You. About time you showed your face!" Luke sat up with rage, but winched in pain. His wrists were bound to the bed.

"What is this?" Luke demanded.

"One broken wrist, four broken ribs and three more bruised ones, various bumps and bruises, and a new scar to go with your old one. Oh, and don't even let me get started with the internal bleeding. Do be grateful. I'm the only reason you're not in the Underworld not now." Luke gritted his teeth.

"You!" he was quickly off.

"I was like you once. Arrogant, powerful. I made an entire world tremble in fear. But, like you, I toyed with my opponents. I underestimated them. And that… well, you saw the result of that." The figure laughed

"You're quite lucky he didn't kill you. Then again, if I hadn't saved your sorry hide and plucked you out of that forest, you probably would have been worse than dead. They would have paraded you around, and made an example of you. They would have done things to you that would make others think twice and never even consider rebelling, and your daddy wouldn't have done a thing to stop it." Luke gritted his teeth.

"Don't talk about him!" Luke yelled before yelling in pain.

"Oh, do be careful. I healed some of your wounds, but I left a few noticeable ones. Pain, after all, is the best lesson. It reminds you of the mistakes you made, and not to repeat them. And you, boy, seem to have a difficult time obeying orders. This is my punishment for you. All the pain… no painkillers." Luke snarled as he struggled against his bonds.

"You were specifically ordered to leave Jackson alive and to flee quietly. But no, you had to make a show of it, and try to kill the boy. And now, you're exposed. They know your role, and you nearly lost your pathetic life in the process! And, you very nearly outed me. I should have let you die." Luke grimaced

"It's going to come out sooner or later! I mean, you're…"the figure whirled to look at Luke, and his voice died in his throat. A shudder went through his body. He had known this thing for years, and he never got used to looking at him. And the sight had only worsened over the last two years. His once green body had turned a deep black, and his purple eyes were now a dark red, which barely reflected the power within hos form. Ever few seconds, a burst of red electricity danced over his form. In a way, he was more of a monster than the creatures Luke had fought for years. And beneath his cloak, something twitched. Luke knew it was the monster's tail. The thing he used to gain even more power from the monsters and other creatures unfortunate enough to cross his path. And for now, Luke called this thing ally. But, he would never call him a friend.

"I am perfection. I am… Cell." Cell smiled.

"Why didn't you? Let me die, I mean." Cell laughed.

"Why? Because you, my dear boy, still have some use. I admit, you have something I never will. Turst." Looking at Luke's perplexed look, Cell continued.

"United, Gohan and the demigods of Camp Half-Blood are a formidable foe. But you, my boy, will divide them. You will tap into their frustration and rage at their godly parents, and drive them apart. You will lead our army against them, and watch Camp Half-Blood burn.

"You talk big, but where were you to make sure your master plot went as planned? The gods should be killing each other, Lord Kronos restored to his full power, and the revolution underway!" Cell roared with laughter.

"Oh, how large you think. One might call it bold! Idiot, that was your plan, not mine. I have found that if one thinks too big, then one should expect failure. Try to construct a building all at once, and it all fails. But one brick at a time… will bring you success. Do be patient." Luke gritted his teeth.

"Patient? PATIENT? I'VE BEEN WAITING TWO YEARS!" Luke was quickly cut off by something lightning fast smacking him across the face creating a crack that echoed across the room. Luke turned back to see Cell's tail linger in front of his face before shooting back beneath the cloak.

"You think you know patience? You think you know how to wait?" Then, Cell vanished from the window and reappeared in front of Luke. In an instant, his hand was wrapped around Luke's throat.

"I spent over twenty years growing in a tube, with the words of my creator repeating in my head. Then, I wasted four more years after traveling back in time to find the key to my perfection. And the time I spent to gain my Perfect Form? When you have experienced even a miniscule of the torment I have endured… then you can consider yourself… patient!" Cell released his hand, causing Luke to let out a deep breath as he slumped back. Cell chuckled as he walked to the foot of the bed and flicked his wrist. Luke's restraints snapped off, causing him to groan as he sat up and rubbed his sore wrists.

"What was your plan?" Luke asked. Cell chuckled.

"A first impression is an important thing, Castellan. I knew Gohan would arrive here someday, and likely encounter Camp Half-Blood." Luke frowned.

"But… why make them allies? Why not make them enemies and have them destroy each other? You yourself just said that they were formidable together!" the android nodded.

"True. That would be the simpler approach. But now? The campers will come to see him as a hero, even greater than your Hercules. They'll see him as their sword and shield, able to stamp out any threat. Soon, they'll depend on him. And then! We will strike, and I will defeat him! But I will not destroy him. I will not kill him. I… will break him! Only when I have destroyed his spirit and mind, will I destroy him. And with that, Camp Half-Blood's spirit will be shattered. Without their hero, they will fall. And this world will be ours." Luke chuckled at that.

"That's… creative." Cell smirked.

"Get up. Kronos and I have been talking, and we have decided on our next move." Luke slowly got up, winching as he clutched his side.

"Stop whining. Gohan could have taken all those injuries without complaining." Luke glared at him.

"Don't say his name!" Cell looked amused.

"Well well, someone seems jealous. You must have had had a bad nightmare." Luke bristled.

"So, what's next?" Cell smiled.

"We're going to cripple Camp Half-Blood, and take the prophecy into our own hands in one swoop." Luke looked confused.

"How?"

"You're going to the Underworld, and you will collect a vial of elder python venom. You will then use it to poison the tree that protects the camp. After that, you will begin recruiting fellow demigods who see the same way you do." Luke looked shocked.

"You're asking me to poison Thalia's tree." Cell nodded. Luke looked shocked.

"NO! Gods no. I won't do that. Not to Thalia. I wont hurt her. Not to mention, Annabeth would never speak to me again." Cell smiled.

"Do listen before you decide. The gods will blame Chiron and force him out, taking away their mentor. Then, with the barrier weakened, we will launch attack after attack. And then, when they're weak and desperate, that idiot wine god will assign a quest, to get the only item that will resurrect the tree." Luke looked confused before realization shot across his face.

"You mean the…" Cell nodded.

"Yes. Play your cards right, and not only will we have the means to quicken the resurrection of Kronos, but we will gain another card to play in controlling the prophecy. And you'll get back something that you want most. If you're willing." Luke stared at Cell along while before nodding. Then, the two of them stood at the window, looking over Manhattan.

"Soon, this world will be ours." Luke nodded. Then, he frowned.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Cell smiled.

"I have my own plans that I'll be enacting in several months." Then, there was a knock at the door, and both turned to see a girl strode in with a case in hand.

"The item you requested, Lord Cell." Cell nodded.

"You may go." The girl bowed as she placed the case on the ground, before striding out. Cell gestured, causing the case to float in front of him. It opened to reveal a brown scroll.

"What is that?" Luke asked, but Cell ignored him.

"Yes, this seems accurate. So, the location of the five…" the scroll floated out of the case and unraveled. Luke frowned. The scroll was covered in symbols that seemed to float off the page.

"Are those… Egyptian hieroglyphics?" Luke asked in confusion. Cell smiled as his eyes danced over the scroll.

"Well, this is helpful. Very helpful. Isis, Osiris, Horus…. Ah, there he is. Set. And the Demon Days are on… " Luke frowned.

"What are you talking about?" Cell chuckled as he looked at Luke.

"It's a large world, Castellan. There's more to it than just the gods of Olympus. And there's more than one way to achieve our goal. You will focus on your mission, and I will focus on mine." Cell looked over the scroll one more time, before smiling.

"This is nearly everything I need, Now, I just need one more thing. The magician to make it all possible." Luke frowned in confusion. Then, Cell flicked his fingers, causing the large television in the room to snap on. It cut to a feed of a large event, with a pretty blonde woman standing in front of the camera.

"We are live outside the Museum of Cairo, where Doctor Julius Kane has just finished his lecture on the fall of Egypt, in commemoration of the newest Cleopatra exhibit." The camera cut to the woman standing next to a well dressed and build black man in a suit.

"Doctor Kane, what do you think about this latest exhibit?" Dr. Kane smiled.

"Well, Sally, I'm glad that the latest agreements have allowed for better cooperation, to ensure that more artifacts can be recovered and not lost to history. I'm proud to attend this event with my son, Carter." The camera zoomed out to show the well-dressed young man standing next to Dr. Kane.

"Ummm… hi!" Carter said nervously. Luke snorted.

"What a nerd." Cell flicked his wrist, causing the picture to freeze on Dr. Kane and his son.

"And there, Castellan, is my key to making a rift. To unleash the gods of Egypt on the world. Where one story ends, another begins." Luke stared at Cell is disbelief. Cell simply looked at Luke and smiled.

"My dear boy, I'm going to unleash Chaos on this world."

 **Enjoy all that? I'm sure you're all confused. How has Cell been here way longer than Gohan? How long will it take Gohan and his new friends to find out about Cell? Believe me, there's plenty of action coming! I hope you all had fun on this adventure. The origin story's always the best to write, and this was a great one. Now, Gohan and the Lightning Thief has come to a close.**

 **Well, I think it's obvious. The sequel for this story is going to be Gohan and the Red Pyramid. And yep, you guessed it. Everyone's favorite saiyan is going team up with the Kanes!** **That story will be coming up along soon, and it's gonna be a blast!** **And after that? Yep, Gohan and the Sea of Monsters! I hope you all had fun! Trust me, there's plenty more coming! Read and Review!**


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